


Fanganronpa: City In Ruin

by thatoneguy22



Series: Fanganronpa: The Series [3]
Category: Danganronpa
Genre: Fangan Ronpa, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 05:38:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 64,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10564716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoneguy22/pseuds/thatoneguy22
Summary: Many years after the tragedy, another game has begun! But this time, two very special kids get to witness what it's like to live as their parents.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9/13 update: Time to work on this one. Arguably the one in least proud of. Time to see if I can redeem it!
> 
> 9/19 update: I failed at editing already and edited it a second time.

How did I ever get here? I can’t believe I got into Hope’s Peak Academy with a talent like mine. I sigh softly. It was still a talent. No matter what anyone said, it was a talent like everyone else’s. I, Carlos Johnson-Freud, am the SHSL Assistant and that’s just as much of a talent as every other talent in this school!

If my name sounds familiar, then you’ve probably heard of my parents, Zach Johnson and Diana Freud. And if you’ve heard of them, then you know what they are. They were part of the Remnants of Despair. But after some...events in their life, they stopped being Despair along with their classmates. They helped fix the world with others that they created. They devoted their entire lives to helping people and I want to be able to do that too! But I could never be as great as them.

I sigh softly and run my hand through my messy hair. Dad always said I looked like Mom. Messy hair, sleepy look. She even let me take her jacket with me when I went to school. It was so important to her. Of course, under it I had my formal wear. A button up shirt and a pair of khakis along with some dress shoes.

I was stalling for long enough. It was time to get going. I smile wide. I needed to make a great first impression if I wanted the others to come to me for help. I walk into the school. And then suddenly, everything felt wrong. The world around me spins. My vision fades and everything around me goes black.

\---------

I groan softly as I begin waking up. The world was still spinning a bit but...wait, this wasn’t the school. I push myself up and rub my head a little. I was in a hotel room, I think. The room was rather dark and dreary. The bed was clean enough. The windows were boarded up. I had a nice looking TV across from the bed though and a dresser. There was a lamp on the nightstand next to me and I could see the bathroom from here.

I get out of bed as the spinning ends and rub my head gently. This was weird. The TV turns on and I look at it. There was a bear on the screen. One half of him was white. The other half was black. That half of him had sharp looking teeth and a glowing red eye. I knew who this bear was from the stories my parents told me and my childhood toy. This was Monokuma!

I almost thought it was my Monokuma toy back home. But this one looked brand new. Mine was worn with years of playing and had crayons and marker stains covering it. This one felt more sinister too.

I felt a chill run down my spine. Normally I'd be happy to see Monokuma. After the Tragedy had ended, he had become a symbol of hope. But nothing about this felt safe. This wasn’t right. What was going on? “Hello, Carlos,” Monokuma says. “I bet you already know what kind of game I have planned.” I shake my head slowly. There was no way.

I hurry over to the door and try to open it. “Don’t bother, it’s locked,” Monokuma says. He was right.

I frown and go back over to the TV. I stand right in front of it. “Okay, what do you want?! Some stupid prank, right?! Trying to scare the new kid because of what his parents were?!” I demanded angrily. I had gotten used to the mockery and hatred and the pranks due to my family’s past. But every fiber of my being was screaming at me that this was no prank. I knew what this was the moment I woke up. Monokuma giggles.

“I just have a little proposition for you,” he says. “See, you’re the SHSL Assistant, right? With a talent like that, you’ll be the first target! And imagine what will happen when the others find out about your family? You won’t last a week in this place. Not unless you do what I say,” he says.

I was silent. I felt myself shake a little. He was right. In a killing game, I’d be the first target. There was nothing special about me. “Okay...you have my attention” I say softly. “What are you telling me this for?” I felt disgusting for doing this. But I didn't want to die here.

“I need a little...helper, we’ll say. Someone to go around and handle things in person for me!” he explains.

“You...You want me to be the traitor?!’ I demand.

Monokuma’s grin seems to widen, telling me that was exactly what he had planned. “Pick up the earpiece on the nightstand and put it in. You’ll go downstairs and mingle with the others in the lobby. I’ll let you know when I need anything else,” he tells me. The door unlocks. “Oh, and Carlos? Thanks for your assistance,” Monokuma says. He bursts out laughing before the screen shuts off.

I stood in the darkness for a while, left with my own thoughts. I just let Monokuma rope me into working for him. In fact, I was stuck in an all new killing game. But why me? Was it my parents? Is that why I was picked? I felt sick. My heart was racing and I was sweating.

I wipe my face off. I had started crying. I take several deep breaths and try to stay calm. I had to focus. I needed to stay relaxed. I hesitantly take the earpiece and put it in before leaving my room.

The hallway didn’t look much better than my room. The carpeted floor looked old and gross. Parts of the carpet were missing or stained and rotten. The wallpaper was peeling. There were fifteen other doors in the hall. Everything else was blocked off except for the stairway down. Assuming the others had already gone downstairs, I head down too. I put on a smile. First impressions and all that.

Just as I suspected, fourteen other students were down here. They all look to me as I walk in and I sigh softly. I had done research on my fellow classmates before coming to this school. I wanted to be prepared to help them in anything they needed, after all. Everyone had been chatting or lounging around before I arrived, so I decide to go introduce myself. That’s what Monokuma told me to do anyway.

Still, the lingering feeling now fresh in my mind of the future dread about to wash over us all wouldn’t go away. What I was doing wouldn’t just go away. And he had gotten me to do it so easily. I really wasn’t as strong as my parents. I wasn’t as great or as capable as the them. I was scared and confused.

I was the traitor of a brand new killing game.

I glance around at all the students and decide to just pcik someone to talk to.

The closest one to be was a boy in a bear suit. He had a little green bandana tied around his neck and a blue baseball cap on his head. His belly had some bandages on it and he had a skateboard under his arm. He was pretty easily recognizable. He had on pink sneakers and some bandaids on his limbs.

Hey there!” he greets happily, waving to me. He had an aura of cheerfulness and energy. I felt happy just being around him. “I’m ‘Scot Willsons! I’m the SHSL Mascot!”

I smile softly. “Hey there. I’m Carlos, the SHSL Assistant.”

I knew him. In fact, I knew a bit about all my new classmates. What kind of assisstant would I be if I didn’t do any research on the people I’d be working with?

‘Scot’s home team was terrible. They lost every single game they played in. But no one came to see the team play. They came to see him! He knew how to entertain the crowd and get them ready for the game, even when they knew there was no chance of winning. He was in tons of commercials and sponsorships. Rumor has it that he never took off his costume.

I was about to say more when a girl on roller skates crashes into me and sends me to the ground.

I groan a bit. She quickly gets off of me and pulls me to my feet. “Yo, sorry about that!” she says. I look at her. She wore a pair of red shorts torn around the bottom and a white t-shirt with red stripes along the edges. She had on a helmet, but still had bruises and bandages all over her body. Her brown hair was tied in a pony tail and poked out through the holes in her helmet.

“Lemme make it up to ya with a little introduction, though I don't us need it! Elly Daring, the SHSL Daredevil! Hope ya know it already cause I got 2 mil subs on YouTube, baby~!”

She did stunts and dares just for the thrill and adrenaline. She had all kinds of videos on YouTube. She’d do anything without thinking about it if it sounded dangerous or fun. She had all kinds of stuff to ride too. Sleds, skis, roller skates, skateboards, bikes, and anything else you could think of. She uploaded most of this onto a YouTube channel she started that was gaining popularity.

“Real sorry about the wipeout,” she goes on, “but brakes just aren’t my type of thing. I let the world decide when I stop!” She grins wide. She was missing a front tooth and some others were clearly fake. After a quick introduction from me, she rolled off again. I had a feeling I’d be helping her a lot...in the hospital.

“Are you alright..?” ‘Scot asks hesitantly. “That looked really painful.”

I smile a bit and rub my sore shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. I’m the SHSL Assisstant. I can work through a lot.”

‘Scot nods. “Right, well, if you’re absolutelty sure. But if your feelings are hurt, I can cheer you up!”

“Really, I’m fine, ‘Scot,” I assure him.

“Only if you’re totally sure!” He pats my back and lets me go off on my own.

I stop at a girl in a black Victorian-style dress. She had a choker on along with a necklace that had a shiny jewel on it. Her brown hair was put up in a bun. She wore black high heels that made her taller than she should be by several inches. The most notable thing was the wooden puppet she had with her. He was dressed in a similar style. A black tux with a white dress shirt under it. He wore black dress pants and dress shoes. His hair was brown and messy and his eyes seemed to follow me. It was kind of creepy.

She smiles politely and does a single handed courtesy. “Who do you do? I am M--”

“This here is Marionette! And don't you forget it!” the puppet says suddenly, cutting Marionette off.

She clears her throat and smiles again. “Yes, well, I am Marionette Dubois, the SHSL Ventriloquist, and this is Slappy Dubois. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Marionette had to ability to make any inanimate object seem alive by simply throwing her voice. But her object of choice would be the puppet she took with her everywhere, Slappy. She has given him his own voice and personality. It’s reported she even considers the two of them separate people entirely.

“Well, I’m Carlos Johnson-Freud and I’m the SHSL Assistant!” I greet politely.

“It is very nice to meet you, Carlos!” she says. She had a very thick French accent, I notice.

“Yeah, nice to meetcha, Bitch Boy!” Slappy says. Slappy’s accent was distinctly New Jersey...wait, Bitch Boy?! What kind of nickname was that?!

“Slappy!” Marionette scolds. “What have I told you about your unnecessarily rude commentry?!”

“What have I told you becuase keeping your damn trap shut?” he counters.

“You don’t get to talk to me like that!’ she snaps.

“Oh, and what are ya gonna do? Cry about it? Wah wah!” he responds.

Marionette and Slappy begin to argue and I just move away before I got any more deeply involved in...whatever this was.

I bump into a boy with a basketball. He frowns and turns to me. He was a really tall guy. Taller than me. He wore new looking sneaks and his basketball jersey but a pair of jeans to go with it. His skin was an deep tan color. His eyes were a sharp green and his hair was black and messy. He was extremely intimidating. When he looked at me, I could feel him analyzing and judging me.

“Oh...watch it,” he says after a moment. Then he waits another moment. “Michael Migel. SHSL Basketball Player.”

He was a star in the making. He was already playing in professional level teams with a massive paycheck to boot. His skill was outstanding and unquestionable. They say he's a sore loser though. He hates being defeated by others in anything, especially this game. He's also pushing himself to be the best all the time.

“Uh...h-hi...” I murmur softly in response.

Pretty soon I feel myself get shoved to the ground. I yelp as I hit the floor. I look at the boy that just shoved me. He wore a pair of dirty jeans and tennis shoes. He had on a yellow varsity jacket and a yellow jersey under it. A football was tucked under his arm. His hair was long and matted down, falling past his shoulders. It also stuck up at the top.

“Hey there, Mike!” the boy says cheerily. “I'm glad to see we’re classmates!” I guess they knew one another. He didn't seem to realize he just threw me to the ground.

Michael's face softens a bit as Freddy walks over and he nods softly. “Hey there to you too, Fred.”

Freddy grins toothily and finally notices me. “Oh, you’re on the floor! Hey!”

“Hello...” I reply.

He holds out his hand, grinning. “I’m Freddy Einstein, SHSL Football Player. And no, I’m not the guy that invented black holes,” he says.

He was amazing at every single position. He practically carried his team in every single game he played. I heard he once beat a team all by himself, but skill like that wouldn’t surprise me. He was a star in every sense of the word and a celebrity in his home town.

I frown a little and take his hand, standing up. “Einstein didn’t invent black holes,” I tell him.

He nods. “I know I didn't. I just said that.” Clearly not the brightest bulb. Actually, I don't think it was even on. I tell him my name before giving Michael and him some space to just do whatever.

I find a boy and a girl talking with each other. The boy was dressed in a large lab coat, his hands in his pockets. He wore a pair of brown pants and a black t-shirt under it. Thin, square glasses were perched on his nose and his hair was a long, matted down black hair. He had a really crazy looking grin.

The girl had on a lot of mismatched clothes. Her shirt was plain yellow with brown lines. Her pants were purple with blue polka dots and held up by suspenders with buttons on them. Her shoes were tie dyed. She had a jacket tied around her waist. It was bright pink and green.

“Hey hey hey!” he says, grinning toothily to me. “Doc Ashton, SHSL Villain at your service! As long as your useful.”

He was extremely smart and an amazing inventor. He’s created several things, like the laser gun and freeze ray. Things you would expect a villain to make. But the thing that gives him such a title is his selfish and evil uses of such creations. I’m not sure what the extent of his evil is, but with a name like his, I’m sure he’s not the kind of guy to mess with.

“Hello,” I say, trying to sound polite. “Er...what does a talent like that entail..?”

“Means I make shit to cause panic and mayhem among the masses!” he replies, grinning.

“Isn't that kind of despairful..?” I ask softly.

“Nah!” Doc replies casually. “See, I have self control. I like to follow my own morally grey rules. Also the school said I wasn't allowed to cause property damage or seriously harm someone while I was there.” He seemed uncomfortable when talking about the school’s rules for him.

“Oh, well alright then,” I say. We shake hands, although I was a little reluctant.

The girl seemed excited to meet me. “Heya! Luna Finn, SHSL Prankster!”

Luna pulls jokes and pranks on everyone just for a good laugh. She’s not afraid to use classics like fake dog vomit or a joy buzzer. But she does more complicated ones too. She is known to go a bit too far with her pranks though. People have been hurt by them before. I think someone even ended up in the hospital too, though not on purpose.

She grabs my hand and shakes it. I yell as I felt myself get an intense shock. I jerk my hand away quickly and back up.

Luna grins as she holds up her hand, a joy buzzer strapped to it. It looked like some D cell batteries were hooked up to it. Doc starts cackling.

“Like my Joy Buzzer 2.0? Really emphasizes the BUZZ!” he says, grinning ear to ear.

“Classic trick, new taze!” Luna adds.

I nod softly and slowly back away from them. This was a pool of moral grey I beat avodied.

So far, most of my classmates seemed...unhinged. Surely they weren’t all this bad, right? We had to have some kind of chance of escape. There had to be...


	2. Prologue Part II

I feel myself stop walking. I frown and try to keep going, but my feet weren't cooperating. I start to twirl around. “Hey, what the hell?!” I say. I stop finally.

I felt dizzy and the room was spinning again. There was a boy laughing. I finally notice the strings around my arms and legs that fall away. He walks over. He had a purple cloak draped over himself. He had red, curly hair. I could see his shoes, brown and made of leather.

“You’re a fun little puppet!” the boy says. “Pete Gallows, SHSL Puppeteer!” He bows. He didn't offer his hand to shake and I didn't want to wrap myself up in those strings again anyway.

He had amazing control with his puppets. He could make them do a lot of stuff. His puppetry could even reach out to living people with strings that had tight grips. I got a great show of that too. He set up shows around Europe that people came to see from all over.

“That was just a sneak peak! I’ll be setting up a puppet show later! You might be the star!” he says. I grumble a bit and move away from him before he could do that to me again.

I almost walk into a boy. He looked like...Pinocchio for some reason. A yellow hat with a feather hiding black hair, green overalls, a white shirt under it, and sneakers. At least he wasn’t wearing clogs. His cheeks and nose even had a pink looking blush to it.

“Oh, pardon me, I didn't mean to stand in your way!” Pinocchio says. “I may as well introduce myself. I’m Pinocchio Schwartz, the SHSL Toy Marker! Here, allow me to give you a gift! It was handcrafted by my mentor!” He passes me a stuffed elephant. It was very soft and well made.

Pinocchio’s spent his whole life making toys. It was his passion and the thing he planned to do forever. From wooden dolls and teddy bears to plastic cars and doll houses. He did it so kids would smile.

I hear the sound of a steady beat. It was energetic and fast paced. I look over. A girl with a snare drum around her neck was tapping away. She has wavy, black hair that dropped to her shoulders. She wore a blue long sleeve and a purple tank top over it. She had on a pair of jeans and sandals.

“Hello~!” she says cheerily to me, speaking to the rhythm of her drum. “I’m Riley Porters! I’m the SHSL Drummer!”

She liked to play beats to her emotions and to what she is saying. Most people found it kind of annoying and I could understand that. I didn't remember seeing a lot of information on her or her talent though. It was pretty odd.

I smile softly and introduce myself to her.

“That’s an adorable drum!” Pinocchio comments. “I love it!”

“It’s my pride and joy!” Riley says happily. She was still playing that drum and I don’t think she planned on stopping.

“If you let me get a good look at it, I bet I can mass produce it! Then we’ll have something every future drummer will want! We’ll split the money, obviously,” he tells her.

“Oh, are we talking business now? Because that’s my kind of language!” The two walk off to chat,.

I could feel someone staring at me and look over. It was a tall, menacing boy standing in a corner. I slowly make my way over to him.

I felt a bit scared for some reason. This guy was kind of creepy. He had black hair that dropped to his shoulders. He seemed to have a constant scowl. His had a black jacket on with some pockets on the front. The collar was popped up on the jacket. The buttons only went up half way, but he had a white dress shirt under it. His had long pants that dropped past his ankles and black sneakers. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Hey...” he mumbles softly to me. “...I’m Van Helsing Kruger. SHSL Horror Movie Expert...” His voice was deep and menacing. He was really starting to freak me out.

He knew everything there was to know about horror movies. He always carried a part of his movie collection around with him. He’s even made some amature movies that are better than some of the recent movies that are coming out.

I introduce myself. “C-Carlos...SHSL Assistant...” My was voice small and meek. He smiles and I run off quickly, heart thudding in my chest.

I almost trample a short girl. She had red, short hair. Her eyes were a shiny pink like her glasses. They kind of reminded me of a librarian, but without the chain. She had a green button up shirt and khakis and dress shoes. Her face was freckled and she had a pink jacket on too. 

She adjusts her glasses to look up at me. “Do be careful. You could have caused me injury.” 

“Er...s-sorry...” I mutter. I hesitantly offer my hand to shake.

The way the girl looked at it made me think she didn’t want to touch it. She shakes my hand anyway. It was very stiff. “Shelley Brotnisk. SHSL Robotics Specialist.”

Shelley could make robots of all shapes and sizes with no problem. She always had a few tools on hand for making something. Her knowledge of robotics was unbeatable. Some people say she might be a bit unhinged though. I wouldn’t doubt that after seeing our classmates.

She looks behind me at Van Helsing before looking up at me. “I can make something to help you feel protected if it’s such a problem,” she says in a bland, monotone voice. 

I look back at Van Helsing and frown a bit. “I’ll just apologize later...” I say.

She nods and I introduce myself. I get grabbed from behind in a massive hug. The kind that knocked the air out of me.

I get let go and turn around, gasping from breath. I look up at the grinning face of my attacker. He was a massive guy. He was way taller than me and extremely muscular. He wore track pants and a white tank top that was stained in food. He had a leather jacket over it with a cartoony pig head on the back and a knife and fork in the front. He had messy brown hair and was showing off a toothy grin.

“Glad to meetcha! I’m Parker Hopps! Everyone calls me Porker though!” He grins toothily and pats my head.

He was always stuffing his face when he had the chance. He was in all kinds of eating contests and always won them in record times. But he was also a super cheery and friendly guy. Everyone loved hanging out around him.

I smile a bit and introduce myself. “Got any food?” he asks me. I shake my head. He shrugs. “Oh well. I'm gonna see if someone else does, but we’ll chat later!” He grins and walks off. I felt a bit bad I couldn’t help him out. I see one more person and head over to them.

It was a boy who looked extremely serious. He had a pair of goggles on, sitting on his forehead. His black hair was tied back. He wore a lab coat that he had closed. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he had one some rubber gloves. He kind of smelled like different chemicals.

He looks at me and frowns softly. “Oh...Carlos...”

I already knew him. He was Charles Wells, the SHSL Chemist. He knew how to make a lot of different things. From explosives to different concoctions that mess with people’s heads. I knew his parents. I met them a few times, along with him. His dad was Wayne Little and his mom was Cassidy Wells. They were survivors of their own killing game that Mom set up.

“Hey there, Charles...” I murmur softly. I was pretty sure he hated me, but he seemed to be cold and distant all the time anyway.

“I figured I would see you around in this class,” he goes on. “Statistically, the likelihood of other the kids of at least one SHSL becoming one themselves skyrockets by 100% compared to the likelihood of any normal parents’ kids.”

There he goes again with the statistics. I was pretty sure he pulled them out of his ass but I didn't want to say anything. “Yeah, lucky me I guess,” I reply.

“You wouldn't happen to know what's happening, would you?” he asks me after a moment. “Something about this entire situation feels off...”

I shrug a little. “No idea.”

Obviously I had a perfect idea, but how could I admit that? This class was full of jerks and, frankly, crazy people. With only a handful of actually nice people, the odds of murder was exponentially higher. And my odds to live were plummeting.


	3. Prologue Part III

I hear running and look over as a boy runs downstairs. He had a yo-yo in his hands. “I’m sorry I’m late!” he says quickly. “My yo-yo got all tangled up!” While his apology was quick he seemed really casual about it. He had a brown coat on and a ushanka hat. He wore snow boots and gloves. He had on an eyeypatch and I could see his hair poking out from under his hat, long and fall down his neck. Why was he dressed like that?

He looks at us all. “Oh, did I miss the introductions? No problem, I'll do mine now! York Spencer, SHSL Yo-yoer!” he grins.

Yo-yoing was pretty much all he was good at, according to himself. He knew hundreds of tricks, many he made himself. He is in competitions for it, which he always wins. At least it was something.

Michael frowns. “Alright, everyone is here and I’m getting bored.”

I sigh softly and finally take a look around the room. It was about as dingy as the rest of the building. There were exposed wires here and there. The doors to the outside seemed locked. There were some couches here that looked trashy but otherwise comfortable and a couple tables. There was a new looking TV screen over the door that clashed with the rest of the building.

“Hey, has anyone tried the doors?” Luna eventually asks, cutting off any small conversations that might have been starting.

“I did,” Porker replies. “Damn things wouldn't budge! I tried to yank them open with all my strength. Not even an inch!”

Charles frowns uneasily but doesn't respond to that. He was probably thinking what I already knew. But I kept quiet too.

“I say we break a window open!” Elly pipes up quickly.

“Great! We’ll use you as the battering ram!” Doc agrees, grinning toothily.

“Sounds perfect, dude!” she replies.

The TV above the door flickers to life suddenly. At first it was just static but the picture soon begins to clear. Everyone looks up at it as it turns on.

“Get ready for the show,” Monokuma says through my earpiece.

I see him on the screen. I glance at Charles. He frowns, clenching his hands into fists.

“Hello, kiddies!” Monokuma says.

“What’s with the teddy bear?” Freddy asks. “Oh wait, it’s this school’s ‘Scot, right?” He smiles like he just figured it out.

‘Scot sighs softly. “They’re called mascots...but yeah, that is,” he says.

Monokuma growls. “Quiet, class! I got some important news! You guys are in a very special place. An old city, sent to ruin by The Tragedy! Very educational and that’s what I’m all about!” Monokuma boasts proudly. “But I’m also about something else! My important mission and project!” he says.

“God, does he every fucking shut up?” Slappy asks. “I feel like he’s been talking for hours!”

“Be nice, he might be telling us some important school stuff!” Riley says, gently tapping away at her drum.

I can't decide if I hate the puppet or the bear more right now. Monokuma crosses his arms. “Just for that, I’m just gonna be up front about it! You kids are trapped within this city. And if you want out, you gotta kill, kill, KILL!”

Everyone was silent. I already knew what was happening and even I still felt shock learning about this. That was probably for the best. I didn’t need to look suspicious in front of the others.

“Wait, kill what?” Freddy asks. “Does it have to be a person? Can I just kill, like, a fly or something?” he asks. Such a numbskull.

“No, you nincompoop!” Monokuma says. “People! Each other! I wanna see a corpse if you wanna to see freedom! Do I make myself clear?!” he yells.

Freddy nods quickly and looks down. Michael pats his shoulder and mumbles something to him, but I couldn't hear what it was.

“Now, go explore, children! And don’t be afraid to get a little...violent,” he tells us. The screen shuts off and the front doors unlocks. I still couldn’t believe this. Trapped in a killing game...just like mom and dad. But those were just stories to me. Not the kind of thing I thought would happen to me. But I guess I got proven wrong. Our game has only just begun.


	4. Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Daily Life Part I

**Daily City Life - Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People**

I stayed back as everyone left. I knew what this was. I knew what was happening. But I think the others wanted some proof. Doc and Charles hung back too.

\------------

Everyone heads outside. There were massive barriers that blocked off our exit of this block. We couldn't get past them. They were made of concrete and seemed to be covered in graffiti that was praising Monokuma.

“They’re way too tall,” ‘Scot murmurs.

“...I could probably clear that,” Elly says confidently after a moment.

“Maybe we should make a human ladder!” Freddy says.

“That's fucking stupid!” Slappy snaps. “And impossible!”

“He's correct,” Shelley says. “That wouldn't work. I don't think we have anything at our disposal to possibly handle taking down these walls.”

The argument dropped there and everyone slinks back inside.

\------------

I watch as the others return, the disappointment on their faces telling me exactly what I was expecting.

“How come you guys didn't go out there?” Luna asks us.

“Our parents have been through this before,” Charles says for me. “It was easy to expect.”

“What about you?” Porker asks, looking at Doc.

The villain grins. “I know evil when I hear it and that bear was just oozing in it!”

“Good to know...” Van Helsing murmurs softly.

“Besides, I'm getting seriously bad vibes from him over there!” Doc says, pointing his finger at me.

My eyes widen a little. “Woah, what the hell did I do?!” I ask.

“Nothing, you just have that weird vibe. The kind that makes me think you’re up to something. And I'm never wrong about that!” he declares.

“Maybe he's right,” Freddy says. “That dork could be bad news.”

“If we’re going to listen to the villain and the idiot, we might as well already be dead,” Pete says boredly.

“I say we should all go look around,” Charles says. “It's best to do it in small groups. Just so we can get an understanding of what we all have available to us.”

Everyone ends up agreeing with that and we all walk out. I paired with Porker and ‘Scot for this.

I got my first glance at the massive walls keeping us stuck on this street. There wasn't a lot around. We did have a few buildings at our disposal though.

Right across the street from the hotel was a rec center. There was a massive hole in the wall, exposing some wiring and pipelines. Some dusty board games were sitting in a bookcase against one of the not destroyed walls. There was a foosball table that seemed to be in decent shape. There were also some arcade cabinets. While they all seemed to be in one piece, only one worked. I notice the building seemed smaller inside than it did outside. I felt like the wall on the left shouldn't be there. “We should definitely come in here and try to have some fun!” ‘Scot says.

Next door to it was an old diner. The place looked run down and there was a leak coming from some parts of the building. The windows were mostly boarded up. There were enough chairs for everyone and a few tables. The kitchen was well stocked and the oven and microwave seemed to work. “At least we have some food here!” Porker says cheerily.

There were a couple of office buildings here, but they appeared to be empty and held nothing of real interest. We did go through both of them but they seemed to be completely abandoned. So we head back to the diner.

Everyone was at the diner now. The three of us sit down to join them.

“It seems we’re all here now,” Michael says. “So, anyone find anything of use?”

“We have a pretty cool rec center,” York says. “Luna knocked me into the wall and it made his really hallow thud too!”

“There’s probably something behind it. A false wall,” Charles says.

“I get I can destroy it!” Doc says excitedly.

Out handbooks all buzz and we pull them out to check on them. We had been given some school rules.

1\. Harming the headmaster in any way is prohibited.  
2\. No destruction of the property in the city.  
3\. You can only murder up to two students.  
4\. All murders will be followed by a class trial.  
5\. All murderers will be labeled as blackened.  
6\. Only the blackened can be executed.  
7\. Trial attendance is mandatory.  
8\. More rules can be added as needed.

Doc pouts. “So much for that idea...”

Michael stands up. “Well, I'd say my business is done here. I’ll be on my way.” He walks out and no one stops him. Pretty soon everyone wanders off on their own. So I was the only one left.

“What do you want me to do now?” I ask Monokuma when I’m sure I was alone. “Go mingle for now. If you can, try to give the others murder ideas without being too obvious. Mention something here, bring up something there. Yadda yadda yadda,” he says. I nod and head off to spend time with the others.

I head to Van Helsing’s room. All of our rooms were labeled with names. I knock on the door and he opens it. The dark, dearly room seemed to fit him. “Oh, Carlos,” he says. “Did you want something?” He didn’t seem too happy to see me. So much for those first impressions.

“I just came to apologize. I wasn’t being very nice to you by uh...running away,” I tell him.

He sighs softly. “Well, apology accepted I guess. It's not the first time I've put up with that after all. Do you wanna come in and watch some movies with me?” he asks.

I smile a little bit and nod, walking into his room. I spend time watching horror movies with Van Helsing. The two of us grew a little closer today.

The movie ends. Van Helsing had a DVD player and VCR hooked up to his TV. A massive portion of his collection was in the room as well, stacked in a large bookcase against the wall. He had several collectibles scattered across the room. Most of them were dangerous looking weapons. “Have you always been interested in horror movies?” I ask Van Helsing.

He smiles and nods. “Yeah, I have. Ever since I was a baby. They’re just something I really love. My parents got me into them. My dad works as a special effect artist and my mom is a director. I want to do what they do. It’s my dream to make the best horror movies ever seen!” He seems to be really excited right now.

Even though he was kind of intimidating and scary, he was a really nice guy. I didn’t really feel so scared around him now. And I liked the passion he had when talking about the movies. He gets something out. It was a stack of large notebooks. “I have all of my notes on them in here.”

“That’s...a lot of notes...” I murmur softly, staring at the giant stack.

“It's not everything, but it's what I had on me when I woke up,” he replies.

I didn't really want to read them just because they had an intimidating size. So we say our goodbyes and I head out.

As I pass by the rooms, ‘Scot opens his door a little bit. I couldn’t see him. “Hey, Carlos, can you go get my suit? Someone stole it,” he says.

Well, I already had an idea of who did that given the people around. “I’d be happy to help! But...is there a reason you can’t do it yourself? Don’t you have clothes on?” I ask him.

“Wh--Yes I have clothes on! Just go get the suit, please! I can’t do it myself...” he says. I nod and head off to find ‘Scot’s suit.

I find it with exactly who I thought would have it. Luna and Doc. The two of them were in the rec center, doing something to the suit. They stop the moment I enter, grinning. “What did you two do to it?” I ask them, walking over.

“Nothing,” they say. I didn't believe that at all.

“As long as you didn't add any of Van Helsing's weapons to it...” I murmur softly.

Both of them look at one another as I said that. Good, they heard me.

I frown and grab the suit. It was bulky and kind of heavy. I head out with it and back to ‘Scot.

When I return, he takes the suit from me. I make sure to look away. Clearly, he had a serious problem with his appearance. Either that, or he lied about having clothes. Whatever the reason, I might as well respect his wishes.

He steps out of his room soon, wearing his suit. “Thanks, man!” he says cheerily, sounding like his usual self again.

I smile and nod. “Oh, Luna and Doc had to though. And they...messed with it. So be careful,” I warn.

He laughs a bit. “What’s the worst that could happen? I know this thing like the back of my paw!” He thumps his chest. Wheels pop out on his feet and he slips with a short scream, landing on his back with a thud. A laser gun pops out of the chest and fires at the ceiling, burning a hole into it.

‘Scot sits up slowly. “Alright...help me figure this thing out,” he asks. I spend time helping ‘Scot figure out his new suit. The two of us grew a little closer today.

While helping ‘Scot out, I made a joke about them adding Van Helsing's weapons to his suit. ‘Scot just scoffed but I knew he heard.

We were relaxing in the lobby by this point. Doc and Luna weren’t able to put much more into the suit before I stopped them and the laser stopped working after the first shot. “So is there a reason you always wear that thing?” I ask him.

He nods a bit. “I don’t really want to talk about it though,” he says.

I figured he wouldn’t, but it was worth a shot. “Well is ‘Scot your real name?” I ask.

He nods. “Yep! Had it legally changed! Mom and Dad were completely cool with it, just like they are with me wearing this suit!” he says, back to being happy. His parents must be pretty laid back to let him do something like that. I guess they did it to make him happy. But I shouldn't ask any more questions and push my luck. I tell him goodbye and head out.

I head into the diner. The moment I do, I get hit in the face with a pie. I hear high pitched, squeaky laughter. Luna, I should have figured. I pull off the pie tin and wipe some off of my face. “Funny, Luna...” I grumble.

My eyes start to water. I wipe at them a bit. They start burning. I yell and blindly run into the kitchen, washing my eyes out with the sink water until the burning stops. I dry my face and turn to Luna. Hot sauce, red pepper, and salt sat on the kitchen counter. Probably all used in the pie. “Luna, what the hell?! I understand pulling a prank or two, but that actually hurt!” I say angrily.

She crosses her arms. “Oh come on, take a little joke!” she says. I sigh and wipe my eyes a bit. They still hurt. I spend time explaining to Luna not to do stuff like that. The two of us grew a little closer today.

During my rambling, I had mentioned the weapons Van Helsing had. Freddy and Michael, who were hanging out in the kitchen, both looked over at the mention of them. Three more people that knew. Perfect.

Luna grumbles as she eats one of the extra pies she made. It had normal ingredients in it. “I don’t need the stupid lecture. You guys could be more fun...” she grumbles, taking another bite of pie.

I sigh softly. “I just don’t want you pulling pranks like that. You could really hurt someone,” I say.

She rolls her eyes. “You sound like my Mom. Just learn to take a joke, man. Such a pussy...” she mumbles.

“Luna, you shouldn't be hurting people like that!” I demand.

“Look, your eyes still work, right? And there aren't any scars. It probably doesn't hurt anymore either!” she replies. “It's not like I--” she cuts herself off suddenly and goes quiet.

“It’s not like you what..?” I ask softly after a moment.

She stands up quickly. “I think we’re done here.” She takes her pie and leaves. I sigh softly. It seems hurting others for a few laughs wasn't something Luna was afraid of. 

It was getting late so I wander back to my room. I didn't like the creepy feeling I got as I walked around. The feeling of always being watched. Probably because I was.

I get to my room. “You did very well today!” Monokuma says cheerily.

I grumble softly and sit down on my bed. I could already feel the waves of guilt washing over me. “Can I just get some sleep..?” I ask softly.

“Absolutely!” he replies. “You deserve it for doing so well! Nighty night, sweet dreams~!”

I take off he earpiece and pull the blanket over myself. I knew I shouldn't have taken there bear’s deal. But it was too late to back out. I just had to keep going with it. I had an uneasy rest that night.


	5. Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning. I had almost forgotten where I was. Almost. I pull myself out of bed and go through my daily routine of getting ready before heading out for the day.

I head to the diner to eat breakfast. In my way there, I saw Elly outside. She was trying to set up a ramp out of the rumble, a few wooden planks and a couch that she dragged out of the hotel foyer. She had it pointed at the wall.

“Elly, what are you doing..?” I ask her.

She looks at me and grins. “I’m gonna clear the wall, duh! Soar right over it and land on the other side! Then maybe I can go get help!”

Her idea was noble but completely insane. “Elly, there’s no way you’ll be able to get over that! It's too high!”

“See, that's quitter talk! I ain't afraid of anything!” She grabs her bike, which had been leaning on the side of the building.

I hurry over to her and grab her shoulder. “Elly, you really shouldn't do that! You’ll hurt yourself! There’s no way you can make it over that wall!”

She looks at me before looking at the ramp. “...yeah, I guess it's not quite tall enough.”

I sigh deeply and pinch the bridge of my nose. “No, that's not what I meant...”

I don't think she was listening to me anymore. She sets her bike against the wall again. “I’m gonna go get some breakfast to think this over with.” She walks off.

I head into the diner soon after her. Most of the others were already there. Unsurprisingly, Porker was here and eating from a massive collection of food at his own table. All of the others seats and tables were filled, so I go sit across from him.

“Um...do you mind if I have some of that?” I ask him. He looks up at me, shoveling mashed potatoes into his mouth. He nods and says something, but it was muffled and I could understand it. I smile a little bit and take a stack of pancakes here had, eating my fill before sliding it over to him and letting him eat it.

He smiles and happily scarfs it down. But he stops when Monokuma plays an announcement. “Can everyone come to the rec center, please? I have something important to announce!” he and it ends. Everyone gets up and we head to the rec center.

In the rec center, the wall to the left was missing and it showed off more to the room. There was a stage. The floor was wooden but looked old and rotten. A tattered curtain manages to keep the backstage area hidden from our view. Monokuma stood on a little stand on the stage. York runs in. “Sorry I’m late!” he says quickly. He was messing with his yo-yo still.

“Hello, kiddies! I have something super special to tell all of you!” he tells us all. I wasn’t really listening. “It’s you're motive!” he says. Motive? I frown a little. Charles seemed bothered too. My parents told me about the motives they were given. I wondered what we would get. I was kind of curious.

“Your motive for today is...fame!” he says proudly. Fame? Really? That was it? Kind of lame. “Just think about it!” Monokuma says. “The sole survivor of a gruesome game of life and death! You’ll get interviews, attention, probably even fans! You’ll be everywhere! Your name will never be forgotten and--HEY!” he says. We had all started leaving during his rambling. “No one respects me...” he whines, pouting and sniffling before leaving.

All of us leave the room. That was a stupid motive anyway. No one would kill for that...I think. I didn't really know everyone too well. But it was ridiculous to think anyone would!

Monokuma didn’t give me any orders today, so I go look for someone to hang out with. York was the last to leave the building, so I decided to go hang out with him. I walk over. He hardly noticed me, practicing with his yo-yo. “Hey, Yo--GAH!” I get cut off as his yo-yo swings up and hits me in the chin.

He quickly reels it back in. “Sorry!” he says quickly. “Here, I can make it up to you!” I spend time watching York do tricks...from a distance. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He asked how I was feeling during his tricks and I told him that Van Helsing’s weapons would have made it worse.

“Well it’s good that you’re feeling better,” York says eventually, a lax smile on his face.

I rub my chin gently. “Yeah, it is...” I couldn't tell how much he cared, but that sorry from earlier seemed really sincere. I don't think York wanted to hurt me. “You probably don't do that often.”

He shakes his head. “Oh, no, I do that all the time! I always mess up something. I’m kind of a giant fuck up but you learn to live with it.”

“...that's kind of depressing. You shouldn't say that about yourself,” I say soon.

York just shrugs a little. “Normal stuff. You mess up everything all the time and you learn to just try to live with it. At least I'm good at something!” He spins his yo-yo around.

York seemed to be completely unfazed by his own self-deprivation. But did he really care that little? I felt like there was more to this than he was telling me. But I wouldn't push it. We say our goodbyes and I leave.

While walking along the street, I have a football fall into my arms. “Huh? Where’d this come from?” I mumble softly. I look around only to have Freddy ram into me at full force. I scream as I’m launched into the air. I land on my back, dropping the ball. I groan softly. That was going to leave one hell of a bruise.

Freddy grabs the ball and helps me to my feet. “We need t’ work on your focus. Ya didn't even see me comin’!” he says with a huff. He crosses his arms, as if disappointed in my performance

“Freddy...you have to actually warn me that you want to practice...” I say weakly, still trying to catch my breath.

He frowns. “I do? Back home, everyone is just kinda ready for it!” he demands. I groan a bit and spend time explaining to things to Freddy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I told him not to do that to Van Helsing when he had his weaponry on him during my speech.

“So you guys aren’t all prepared for a sudden game of football?” he asks.

I shake my head. “The only one who might be okay with it is Elly,” I say.

He nods a bit in understanding. “Right. So I can only do this to Elly. Gotcha!” he says, grinning. “Thanks, dork!”

I frown a little. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Well...I mean you just look like a dork. The jacket is kinda cool but other than that? Dork,” he says. “‘S not a bad thing. Like, I'm an idiot but that's okay!”

I end up getting into a small argument with him about this. I spend time talking to Freddy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

This is going nowhere. Maybe he’ll forget if I change the subject. “So Freddy, how’d you start playing football?” I ask him.

He looks at me and smiles. “Oh yeah, that! Well...football has always been in my family. It was somethin’ I got raised on. Everyone in the family has been on a football team and so was I! I had a great grip and never dropped the ball. Other teams would think I had glue or something on my hand. I’m also super fast, super strong, and super...uh...some third thing!” he says boastfully, grinning and flexing a bit.

From the sounds of it, his family was trying to create the greatest football player ever. I guess they got that out of Freddy. But I think they focused a bit too much on football when raising him.

He spots Elly and gets up. “I’ll see ya later!” He tosses the football towards her then charges. I leave before someone could hold me responsible for it. Or before I got involved again.

When I walk inside the hotel, I do a little twirl against my will. Then I slap myself a few times. “Pete!” I yell. “Knock that off!” The strings fall away and I stop with a little sigh.

He walks over, grinning and snickering a bit. “Sorry, couldn't help myself!” he says.

I roll my eyes. Yeah, sure he couldn’t. “How about I make it up to you with a little puppet show?” he offers. He spreads out his cloak and some puppets drop down, attached to his arms with strings. I smile a little bit and nod. I spend some time watching Pete put on a puppet show for me. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I mentioned not using Van Helsing like a puppet when he had his weapons.

“So did you get into puppeteering on your own?” I ask him once the little show ends from behind the couch.

He shakes his head. “My family is uh...well, we’re gypsies. They kind of adopted me. We spent a lot of time traveling around Europe and I needed some kind of act to get people’s attention. Puppeteer became my calling!”

I smile a tiny bit. That actually sounded really sweet. I was picturing Pete in a small circus-like attraction.

“But I grew far better than anyone could have imagined. And now...people are puppets!” he says proudly before bursting into laughter.

Okay, not so sweet. “You just not have a great life. I heard gypsies aren't looked on nicely.”

Pete sighs and nods. “Yeah, that's true. Most people hate us or don't trust us. The only time they care is when we put on a little show. That's when we rob them blind!”

“Well I guess that's only fair,” I say. “But I get how you feel with that. I'm not exactly well-liked thanks to my family’s past.”

Pete reaches over and gently pats my shoulder. “I think you’re pretty alright.”

I smile a tiny bit. “Thanks, Pete...”

It was getting late. Pete said goodbye and went up to his room. I soon left as well.

I head up to my room for the night. I had mentioned the weapons again to everyone I spoke to. Everyone should know about them by now, assuming the ones I didn't tell listened in or told someone else., which is what Monokuma wanted. I frown a bit with that thought in mind.

“So, Carlos, I wanna ask you a bit about your family. I have a great interest in them,” Monokuma says once I was alone in my room.

I sigh softly. “Yeah, okay, ask away,” I grumble softly.

I hear him giggle a bit. “Did they ever tell you the kinds of things they did as despair?” he asks.

I frown a little. “Some of them did...some of them didn’t want to talk about it. Uncle Derek told me he started a few nasty wars that he had to spend a lot of time fixing. Mom told me about her killing game. Dad told me about his time with Junko. Uncle Bret and Uncle Chet told me about how they teamed up a lot...none of them went into very much detail...”

I didn't like thinking about what my family was. That's not what they were anymore. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Goodnight.” I take out the earpiece before I could hear Monokuma say anything else and go to sleep.


	6. Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Daily Life Part III

I wake up in the morning feeling a bit drowsy. I pull myself out of bed. I kind of remember Mom and Dad talking about this kind of feeling. I guess it makes sense that you won’t sleep well in this kind of situation. All I could do right now was hope that things went well and the bear gave up. I get ready for the day and head out of my room to go to the diner.

I almost crash into Porker and Freddy as I leave my room. Porker looks down at me and grins. “Hey there little buddy!” he says cheerily. Although I didn’t really appreciate being called little. “You going down to get breakfast? I can whip you up something if you’d like!” he offers.

I smile a bit and nod. “That sounds nice, Porker,” I say.

Freddy nudges Porker. “Don’t forget my breakfast either, big guy,” he says. Guess I wasn't the first to be asked.

The three of us head down to the lobby. That’s when we hear it. A high pitched scream. Luna runs into the building, hands soaked red. She looked terrified.

“Luna, what happened?!” I say quickly, running over.

She looks at us, shaking. “H-He...He’s...oh God...” she chokes out. She hangs her head low and starts crying.

“Did it already happen?” Freddy asks, looking confused.

She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. “It’s...It’s terrible,” she says. 

York walks inside the hotel. He had a knife in his hand and it was covered in blood. “Hey Luna, what did you say in suppose to use this for?” he asks. He looks up us. “A-Ah! The others are already awake?! Oh, I ruined it didn't I?” he asks quickly.

She looks up at us, grinning. She starts laughing. “I played you guys for a bunch of chumps!”

Wait, does this mean this was just another one of her stupid pranks? I frown but Luna just kept laughing. “You idiots really did buy that schtick!” she says.

She holds up her red hands. “I know ten recipes for fake blood and this was the worst of them all!” She goes back to laughing. “It would have been a lot better if York did what I told him, but what can you do?” 

York looks down. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess up...” he says, giving an apologetic smile. The three of us just push past them and head to the diner.

Porker makes some food fast while I helped. Freddy just lazed around in the diner. We bring it all out to start eating, and Freddy a plate with some bacon and a couple pancakes on it. I had one for myself. Michael walks in while we were eating and sits next to Freddy. The two of them start chatting. I guess it would make sense to me for the two of them to be friends, but I was pretty sure they already knew one another before this.

The others come and go. I hang out with Freddy, Michael, and Porker for a bit. The all seemed like really nice people. The three of them were bragging about past wins they’ve had in games and competitions. Freddy talks a lot about getting tackled. Honestly, it was starting to explain a lot to me.

“What about you, dork?” Freddy asks me.

“H-Huh? Me?” I ask. “Uh...well I mean...there aren't really competitions for assistants. It’s not a competitive thing,” I say.

“Told ya he was a dork,” Freddy says to Michael.

Michael rolls his eyes a bit. “Yeah? Well, at least he has something in his head. And no, metal plates don't count.” He knocks on Freddy’s head.

I crack a small smile. The two seemed like good friends and neither seemed as harsh or mean as I thought before when they talked together.

Eventually we got up and all went out on our separate ways. I go find someone to spend my time with.

I find Pete building a little stage out of old scrap he found laying around and some tools in the rec center. The tools seemed to be Shelley’s because her name was written on the toolbox.

I walk over to him. “Pete, did she loan you those tools?” I ask him.

He looks up at me and smiles innocently. “Of course she did. What do you take me for, some petty thief?” he asks. That was an obvious answer.

I nod. “Yeah, I do,” I tell him.

He pouts a bit and goes back to hammering. “You have good judgment. I swiped these from her for a bit while I build. I plan on giving them back. Help me, and she’ll get them faster,” he says. I spend time building a stage with Pete. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He finishes building his stage and smiles wide. “Ah, just like the one back home! Absolutely beautiful!” he says happily.

I look to the stage over. It did look rather nice. Although it was clear it handmade, it gave it some charm. Pete looks to me, still smiling. “Thank you for your assistance. It’s not often I find myself able to trust another human being to be competent. I suppose it’s just a part of my upbringing. When you spend your entire life moving around, living in only the worst conditions with some of the most untrustworthy and greedy people imaginable...it becomes second nature,” he says.

Jesus, is that was his life was like? That sounds miserable. I didn't think hints were that rough forge poor guy.

He sighs and frowns. “I think I'm going to go put this in my room and return the tools.” He stands and lifts up the stage, putting the toolkit on it, and leaves the building.

I find Riley tapping away at her drum in the lobby, humming softly to the beat as I was planning on heading to my room. I walk over to her. “Hey, Riley, what’s up?” I ask.

She looks up at me and smiles. The beat on her drum gets faster. “Nothing at all, did you wanna hang out?” she says, keeping her speech in beat with the drum. I smile and nod. I spend some time hanging out with Riley. The two of us grew a little closer today.

During the time I spent with Riley, she was asking some intrusive questions. I guess she was just a curious person. “How long have you been drumming for?” I ask her after a while.

The beat of her drum slows down a bit. “Oh, well, I’ve been drumming for...a few years now. Drives people crazy, but I love it,” she says in rhythm. The tone in her voice sounded a little...pushy and soft. Like she wasn't telling me everything there was to say. Was there something she wasn’t telling me?

“Well how did you ever get interested in it?” I ask next. The beat slows down a bit more. It kind of sounded mysterious now.

“Oh, there’s nothing too interesting in that. Just an interest I ended up getting,” she says in rhythm. She gets up. “I should go now,” she says, the beat picking up quickly. She heads off.

I felt like she was hiding something from me. I didn't take her for the type to keep secret.

I was heading back to my room when I hear an explosion from one of the rooms. Charles stumbles out, coughing into his arm. He pulls up his goggles and sighs softly. Smoke was pouring out of his room. I hurry over.

“Jesus Christ, are you okay, Charles?!” I ask him.

He looks at me and crosses his arms. “I’m fine, nothing you have to worry about,” he grunts.

I sigh softly. “At least let me help you clean up. Helping is kinda my thing,” I tell him. He looks at me then back into his room. He nods in agreement. I spend some time helping Charles clean up his mess. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I finally manage to get the last of the chemical mess cleaned up. “Maybe be a bit more careful when mixing flammable stuff,” I say, smiling a bit.

He rolls his eyes and finishing cleaning out his beakers. “You sound just like my dad,” he grumbles. I figured our parents would get brought up eventually. He looks at me and notices I was a bit uncomfortable with the subject. “If you think I hate you because of what your mom did or hold no trust in you, you’re wrong. At least for now. I didn't have a real reason not to trust you and Mom said I should wait for people to give me one. So I don’t make the same mistakes as her,” he says.

“Good advice...” I say softly. I felt kind of guilty now.

Charles sits down on his bed and pats the spot next to him. “Let’s talk a bit. I haven’t seen you for a good ten years now,” he says. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.

I sit down next to Charles hesitantly. We haven't talked in a long time. I was still pretty sure he didn't like me. But this would be nice, wouldn't it?

Me and Charles spend some time catching up. Despite what he said, I could feel his lack of trust for me. I felt like the longer I spent with him, the more likely it would be that he would find out my secret. He hardly brought up his parents or the other survivors of their killing game. We mostly talked about how our lives have been and such. Eventually, he got tired so I left his room.

I head into my room and sink into my bed. I felt awful now. I felt even more guilty after that experience. And I...really did feel like a traitor...

“Monokuma, you’ve been really quiet today,” I say eventually.

“I've had nothing to say~!” he replies ominously.

I frown a tiny bit. I didn't like that. Why wouldn't he have anything to say?

“...I’m going to sleep.” I turn over in bed and sigh.

“Nighty night~!” he coos. “And be sure to stay tucked in aaaaall night long~!”

I fell asleep before I could ask what that was supposed to mean.


	7. Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning below!

In the morning, I get out of bed and get myself ready for the day. I was hungry right now and some food sounded good. I head out of my room. I meet up with Freddy and Porker again in the hall. I notice Freddy wasn’t wearing his varsity jacket today. I greet the two and the three of us were about to head downstairs when it happens. There’s another high pitched scream this morning. It was Luna again.

She runs up the stairs, screaming her head off. Her hands were red, along with her shirt and pants and she was missing her jacket. She was sobbing, face stained in tears. I had to admit, the blood looks more convincing. But I wasn’t buying it.

“Come on Luna, you played this prank yesterday. Give it a rest,” I say.

She suddenly looked furious as I say that. “This isn’t a fucking joke!” she screeches angrily. “It’s York! He...He’s dead! He died in my fucking arms down at the lobby!” I roll my eyes.

Porker frowns and grabs her. “I don’t appreciate the jokes about our friends being dead!” he says angrily.

She shoves him off of her. “I said this isn’t a fucking joke! He’s dead dammit! I watched him die! Come on!” She grabs me and Porker and drags us downstairs. Freddy follows after us.

I was expecting York to be standing there grinning for getting it right, just a part of her stupid joke. The two of them would start laughing and I’d go get my breakfast, angry by relieved. But I was wrong. I was so horribly wrong.

York was laying on the floor, eyes open and staring at nothing. His body was covered in slashes, like something with massive claws tried to rip him open. Luna’s jacket had been pressed against his throat and was soaked in blood. But it had clearly failed. I felt something bubbling up inside of me. A scream forced its way out of me and I fall back, staring wide-eyed at the corpse I used to consider my friend. 

Then an announcement plays. “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you can use however you like, the class trial will begin!” Monokuma says over an announcement. The body discovery announcement. So that was it then. This wasn’t some sick joke that went too far. York Spencer, the SHSL Yo-yoer, was dead.

**Killing City Life - Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People**

I couldn't believe this. This couldn’t be real. What I was seeing couldn’t be real. But I knew it was. There was no denying this. There was no denying what I saw in front of me. York was completely dead.

The announcement seems to have woken up the others because everyone was coming downstairs. There’s an uproar of curses and screams as the others find York’s body. Porker pulls my back to my feet.

“Is...Is he really dead..?” Marionette asks softly. She looked a little pale.

“Of course he’s dead! Someone cut him up like a steak!” Slappy snaps.

Michael frowns and looks at her. “Have a little respect for the dead, Marionette,” he says.

She looks at him like he just insulted her. “I-I am! It was Slappy!” she demands. Honestly, I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with this.

“Alright everyone, we need to start investigating!” Charles says. “I want everyone to look around for any clues that might help us determine the killer!” It seems Charles was taking charge of things. I wasn’t surprised by that. Everyone nods and heads off to begin investigating. I noticed Freddy had gone back up to his room. I heard his door slam shut.

I rummage around in my pocket and pull out an e-Handbook. I knew I had one of these, but I hadn’t bothered to look at it yet. This should help me record evidence.

I go over to York’s body and look down at it. His clothes had been shredded in the attack. It looked like something with long claws slashed him open. Luna’s coat was laying against his throat. She had probably been trying to stop the bleeding when she found him. But it clearly didn’t work.

I look over at her. She was being comforted by Doc. The two of them must be friends. I walk over to her. “Hey Luna, can you tell me exactly what happened?” I ask her. She looks at me and nods weakly.

“I...I was getting up to go set up a few pranks. Y’know, hopefully, get some people laughing. I saw York on the ground when I got out here. He...H-He was barely breathing. I tried to save him but...” she trails off. She wraps her arms around herself. “I’m going to my room...” she says softly. She stands up and leaves quickly. I sigh a bit as I watch her leave. I go back to the body.

I look down at York again. He was holding something in his hand. His fingers had been sliced off, so I was easily able to grab it. It looked like some shreds of a note. They were absolutely drenched in blood and sliced up. I could only make out a little bit of the note.

_Meet-------10:0-------Helsin--._

__

__

That’s all I was able to read. I rummage around in York’s pockets. I pull out a shred of yellow fabric splashed red in his blood. How did that get in there? I put it back and go look for Van Helsing. As I head up the stairs, I notice a bloody sneaker print on the way there.

Van Helsing was in his room, looking for something. He looks at me as I walk into the room. He waves before returning to his searching.

“Something missing?” I ask him.

He nods a little. “I can’t find my glove. My Freddy Krueger glove. I had it here and now it’s gone!” he says. “First I get woken up early by some loud knocking on my door and now this!”

Oh no...what have I done..? I hear Monokuma snicker in my earpiece. “Van Helsing...I...kind of told some of the others about your weapons...” I admit to him. He turns to me, looking furious.

“Why would you do something stupid like that?!” he demands angrily.

I flinch a bit when he raises his voice. “I-I was only telling people to make conversation!” I lie. “I-I didn't think--”

Van Helsing frowns. “Didn't think what?!” he snaps. “That someone would kill? That someone would murder?” He starts to advance on me. I begin to back up. “This is your fucking fault! How many people did you even tell?!”

“O-Only a few!” I say quickly. I bump into the wall. I was shaking and I felt tears sting my eyes.

Van Helsing stops walking toward me. He was still scowling but backed off a little and looks away. “Get out...” he says softly.

I take a hesitant step toward him. “B-But Van, I--”

“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!” he screams. I scream too and run out. “Don't come back until you find it!” he yells and slams the door shut behind me.

I didn't have much of a choice but to go find the weapon. I was a bit shaken up but I tried to hide that from the others.

I eventually find it tossed into the trash in the diner. It was buried under some other garbage, clearly being hidden. The knives along with fingers were soaked in blood. I run my fingers through my hair nervously. I know the killer isn't Van Helsing. Or was it? Maybe he was lying to me. But that rage seemed so genuine. How did Mom and Dad to this kind of crap five times?!

I take the weapon back up to Van Helsing. When I knocked and showed it to him, he tanks it out of my hands and was about to shut the door.

“Wait!” I say before he could.

He stops and glares at me. “What?” he growls angrily.

“I-I want to see you write your name,” I say, trying to sound confident. But I was feeling terrified.

He scowls and grabs something from his room. He holds up a DVD case. It was open. His name was scribbled onto the DVD itself. It didn't match the note.

“Alright...thanks...” I say softly. Van holds and slams the door shut.

I sigh deeply and slink out of the hotel. I go look for someplace to be alone before sighing deeply. I end up inside one of the office buildings.

“Monokuma, just tell me who did it. Your game will last longer if you just tell me,” I say.

He growls a bit. “No, no, no! That makes it way too obvious! And I don’t need you being suspicious! Besides, I don’t care how long the game lasts. Watching you all flounder and fail in the class trial will be just as good!” he says. I could feel the pleased grin on his face.

“Look, just tell me who did it or I’ll stop being your little helper!” I snap. I could hear Monokuma slam his paws on something.

“Don’t tell me what to do, boy! Keep in mind who’s really in charge here!” he snaps at me. “Besides, who really has more to lose here? I could always simply mention how there may or may not be a traitor here. I could...maybe...oh, I dunno...drop a name during that announcement,” he says casually.

I frown. “Alright, alright, calm down!” I say quickly.

“Hey, are you talking to someone?” a voice asks. I quickly spin around. It was Doc and Charles.

“Just myself!” I say quickly. The two of them look at each other then back to me.

“We just came to check on you,” Doc says. “Charlie was worried and wanted to make sure you were doing alright.” Doc grins. Charles frowns and crosses his arms.

I smile softly. “I’m fine guys, really. But thanks,” I say.

“Yo kiddies, come meet in the rec center for the class trial!” Monokuma says. I look at the two boys and the three of us head to the rec center. Once everyone was there, the curtains in the back of the stage swing open to reveal an old looking elevator. We all get on and, with a creaky groan, it starts moving down.

I was nervous. I felt so guilty and responsible for this death. But...even if I didn't mention the weapons, someone would have killed anyway. I just gave them a more convenient way of doing it. We had to find the killer. We had to do this together or we’d be going down together. The elevator stops and the doors open. This is it. I was ready. It’s time for the first class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neck gore


	8. Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Killing Life Trial Part I

As we get off the elevator, Freddy looks to Van Helsing and grins. “We’re gonna get you, freak!” he says. “Right Michael?!” Michael smirks and nods.

Van Helsing frowns softly. I sigh softly. Of course, Freddy would think it’s Van Helsing.

We all walk over to our assigned podiums. The room around us seemed to be crumbling away but study at the same time. Monokuma sat on a golden throne. A picture of York with his face crossed out stood at his podium. It looked like the picture was bent a little. This felt like how my parents described it. I shudder a little. I was reliving their past in the worst way possible.

“So how will this work?” Shelley asks in her emotionless voice.

Monokuma sits up. “Since you kiddies didn't pay attention in class, I’ll have to explain the rules for ya. You will debate amongst yourselves for who you think the killer is. Once you’ve reached a decision, you’ll vote for who you think did it! Majority rules, of course. If you pick the wrong one, I’ll kill the whole lot of ya and let the killer go free! If you pick right, the killer gets axed and all of you can return to your life in the city!” Monokuma explains.

I sigh and look down. That sounded about how Mom and Dad explained it. When they went over this kind of stuff, they sounded so brave and fearless. I loved hearing the story. But I was absolutely terrified right now. I had to focus and be helpful. I couldn’t let the others down. I was the SHSL Assistant and I was going to help!

“So we just have to find the killer then?” Riley asks to the fast-paced beat of her drum.

“Well that’s easy!” Pinocchio says. “The killer left some super obvious evidence at the scene of the crime!” Was it really that easy though? Would the killer be that dumb? I don’t think so.

“Obvious evidence? What kind?” Elly asks.

Pinocchio smiles. “Well, it’s obviously that note! The one with Van Helsing’s name written on it!” he says.

Van Helsing quickly shakes his head as the others look at him. “No way! It’s not even my note!” he says defensively.

“I bet it is and you’re just lying!” Freddy says accusingly.

I frown. No, Van Helsing was telling the truth. I knew he was! “No, he’s telling the truth! The handwriting isn’t a match!” I yell out.

Freddy looks at me, confused. “Huh? It isn't?” 

I shake my head. Van Helsing sighs in relief but mostly looked annoyed. “He showed me one of his DVD’s, which he always writes his name on. The handwriting wasn’t even close to matching!” I say.

“If you don’t mind me butting in,” Michael says, “I’d like to hear more about Luna's testimony. Surely if she watched York die, should have something of use to say.”

Everyone looks to her. She still had her arms wrapped around herself. “Like I said, I woke up and went downstairs to set up a few pranks. I found York bleeding on the ground. I tried to stop the blood with my coat but...there was nothing I could do...”

“I have a problem with your story,” Michael says. “The note clearly stated York was meant to be there at around 10:00. Since he died at night, we can assume it was for 10:00 pm. So how is it possible you found him barely alive at the morning?!” he says accusingly.

Luna’s eyes widen. “H-Hold on, are you trying to accuse me of this?! That’s bullshit!” she yells out angrily.

Doc shakes his head. “He has a point. If York was there at ten, he would have been dead when ya found him. Yep yep yep! Makes sense to me,” he says.

“How do we know you didn't do it, hm?” Pete asks. “SHSL Villain would totally kill someone to save his own ass! Especially if it put him in the spotlight!”

Doc rolls his eyes. “Yeah, the spotlight of a good guy! That's so boring! No fun at all! Completely and utterly wasted time! Even if I did admit to killing when I got out, they'd just call me a hero! Ugh!”

“I still say Luna is the killer!” Michael butts in.

“And I'm saying I sure as hell am not!” she yells back.

We were getting off track. I felt like there was something wrong here. Something everyone was overlooking. I needed to think.

_Why doesn't Luna’s testimony make sense?_

__

__

York was suppose to show up at 10:00 pm.

_Why does that ruin the testimony?_

__

__

He should have been dead long before anyone woke up.

_Why would he have died so fast?_

His throat had been cut open.

_Then how could Luna have found right after waking up?_

__

__

He would have been late.

My eyes light up. “I have an answer!” I declare suddenly.

Everyone looks at me, clearly surprised by my sudden outburst. Even Monokuma seems taken back.

“Luna is telling the truth!” I shout. “We know one thing about York that he always did without fail!”

“He sort of failed at everything,” Elly says.

“York was always late to everything! So I wouldn't be surprised if he was late to this meeting too!” I say.

“His statement makes sense,” Shelley says monotonically. “York was late to everything this far. If he missed the meetup, I wouldn't be shocked.”

“Actually, I have my own question,” Charles says. “What was used to kill York?” he asks.

Slappy looks at ‘Scot. “I bet it was Furry Fucker over here! He probably has claws in that suit,” the puppet says.

‘Scot shakes his head quickly. “I-I do not! And I’m not a furry...” Doc and Luna didn't put claws in that suit of his if I remember correctly.

“Why do you have to be so rude?” Pete asks Marionette.

She looks over, seemingly panicked. “I-I did not say that! It was Slappy!” she demands.

I sigh. This wasn’t the time to get into another argument with her.

“Can we hurry this up? I’m getting hungry,” Porker says while eating a candy bar. Did he have that in his pocket?

“So did none of you find the murder weapon?” Michael asks. No one answers.

“I did,” I finally say. “I found one of Van Helsing's things in the diner trashcan. A knife glove. It was an old prop from a movie he watched and it was covered in blood. I think someone was trying to pin it on him,” I tell the others.

“No way, that’s definitely evidence of Van Helsing being the killer!” Freddy interjects. We just decided he wasn’t. Why was Freddy going back to this?

Michael nods. “We have no other evidence, anyway. We might as well vote for the boy and end this charade,” he says sharply.

“Yeah, yeah! Let’s just kill the creep already! I knew he was the killer from the beginning!” Freddy says, a little too cheery.

Michael glares at him. “You’re talking an awful lot, Freddy. Maybe it’s time you kept your massive trap shut!” I look between the two. That was weird.

That it suddenly hits me. Realization sets in. The pieces begin to fit together and the answer is made clear. I knew who did it! The killer was..!


	9. Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Killing Life Trial Part II

“God, you two are so stupid! That note is clearly forged! Only Freddy would be stupid enough to write his fucking name on the note! And I’ve seen Helsing’s handwriting. It's not even close” Doc says angrily.

Freddy frowns. “Hey, I ain’t that stupid! Besides, it’s not like we know each other well enough to copy each other's handwriting,” he says.

Michael scowls. “Shut the fuck up, Freddy,” he growls angrily. “We have no other evidence. It’s time to end this,” he says, regaining his composure.

Freddy nods quickly. “Yeah! Besides, we knew this was gonna happen eventually. After all, Carlos told everyone about Van Helsing’s weapons,” he says.

Wait...of course! “That’s a lie!” I yell out. “There’s still evidence to talk about!”

”Uh...no there ain’t?” Freddy says, unsure. He glances at Michael. “I mean...of course there ain’t!”

Was Freddy really going to stand in my way with these blatant lies? If he was, I was just going now to have to get past them and end this.

”There’s totally nothing left!”

”What the hell is evidence anyway?”

”You’re making stuff up!”

“Freddy, what are you even going on about?” I ask. “You know this isn’t even an argument! You’re just yelling stuff out!”

”No I ain’t!”

”There’s not proof of nothing!”

”Me and Mike were never there last night!”

There it was! This was my chance to end this! “Let’s cut through those words!” I shout.

”Ahhh!” Freddy yells. “What are you talking about?! There’s no evidence! There’s just not enough!”

“There’s more than enough! Enough to pin you both to the crime! A bloody sneaker print and a scrap of a bloody jacket!”

Both were starting to look nervous. “And...And what are you trying to say, you little asshole? That we had something to do with this?!” Michael demands. “And even if we did, you have no idea which one of us really did it!”

“Michael, you wear top of the line sneakers all the time! And Freddy isn't even wearing his varsity jacket today!”

“That doesn't prove anything!” Freddy yells. “It proves nothing!”

“Someone could be trying to frame us too!” Michael spits. “Are you just going to overlook that!”

I could prove they were the ones responsible. I had one more piece of evidence. One thing neither of them could refuse. I look at Michael and he glares at me with murder in his eyes. He'd be the one trying to shoot down anything I said.

“Freddy said something--”

_“Shut your trap, asshole!”_

“--at the very start--”

_“You don't have evidence!”_

“--that easily proves--”

_“You’re grasping at straws!”_

“--you two were responsible!” I cry out.

“You’re full of shit!” Michael screams angrily. “Nothing like that happened! Stop lying already! You’re the killer, aren't you?! You did this! Admit it!”

“That’s where you’re wrong!” I yell out loudly. I was silencing Michael for once. “At the start of the trial, Freddy said ‘We’re going to get you, freak!’ to Van Helsing. There is no possible way he could have known Van Helsing was our main suspect! He his in his room! And you agreed with him, Michael! Both of you were ready to frame him at the start of the trial before anyone knew anything!”

Both boys were silent now. Freddy looked at Michael with a worried gaze, as if asking him to say something. But Michael was quiet as well.

“Here’s what I think happened,” I say. “Two people worked on this. One put it together while the other, or killer, did the work. The planner has the killer write down the note and slip it under York’s door. The problem was, he was already sleeping. The planned probably got the glove and the two of them waited in the lobby. York didn’t show up until the morning, but they were both ready for him. One of them, the killer, attacks York with the glove, being sure to slice up the note he held in his hand. But the killer got blood on his jacket. One of them cut it off and put it in York’s pocket. They then disposed of the glove in the diner trashcan and went back to their rooms, probably just barely missing Luna leaving her own. The planner must have gotten blood on his shoe because he left a show print on the floor! The planner was the one who set it all up but the killer is the true culprit here. The planned would have to be smart enough to set this all up. So the one who committed the murder...was Freddy! Did I miss anything?!”

Still, the two of them were silent. Then Michael slowly gets a wide grin on his face. He begins laughing.

I frown a bit. “What’s so funny?” I ask him.

Freddy looks over, nothing but fear washing over his face. “Y-Yeah, why are you laughin’ bro?!” he demands. Michael just keeps laughing.

"You idiots think I didn't plan it like this? Freddy is too incompetent to murder anyone, let alone follow directions! So I did everything! I wrote the note, I stole the stuff, I got York to meet us, I even cut Freddy's uniform! Dumbass here listened to everything I said!” Michael says, still laughing.

Freddy’s face washes over with betrayal as the realization hits him like a truck. The others were shocked.

“What..? Why would you do that?!” Luna demands.

Michael’s laughing dies down a bit. “Freddy wanted fame so badly. It was kind of pathetic. But for me? I wanted to see what you were all capable of. See if you could figure one of these murders out. I was curious. And I have to say, Carlos, you are a very worthy foe,” he explains.

“S-So you set me up?! I got blood on my hands because of you!” Freddy says, panicked.

Michael nods. “Of course I did! You’re so stupid that you couldn’t even see through it! And it’s not my fault you’re such a dumbass that you actually murdered.”

He shakes his head. “We-Well you were behind all of it! So you’ll fry with me, bro!” he demands.

Monokuma giggles softly and Freddy looks at him. “Not quite! See, while Michael provided the means, the one who actually shed the blood is guilty!” Monokuma says.

Freddy looked sick. “Wh-What..?” He says weakly.

Monokuma sighs. “Listen up, knucklehead! You gotta murder to get out! M-U-R-D-E-R! And Michael did not murder!” Monokuma explains cheerily. Freddy shakes his head in disbelief. “It’s time to vote!” Monokuma says. “Who’s the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?!”

Everyone votes for Freddy. Monokuma cheers. “That’s right! Freddy Einstein, the SHSL Football Star, is the one and only killer!” he says.

Freddy shakes his head again. “No, th-this isn't fair! You can't do this to me! I’m sorry! Don’t kill me!” he pleas fruitlessly. He looks at Michael. “C-Come on, bro! I thought we were best friends!”

Michael looks away. What was that look on his face? Guilt? Grief? Sorrow? I couldn't tell. It was hard to see. “...we are friends, Freddy. That's why I knew you would do what I say. That's what made you so easy to use.”

Freddy stares at Michael for a minute before looking away from him again, eyes trained on the floor. “You’re a bastard, Michael...”

Monokuma pulls out a hammer. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down on the button and old, rusty doors snap open. A chain flies out and clamps down on Freddy's neck. He screams as he's dragged away. A screen drops down soon and begins to play something.

**Freddy Einstein has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Freddy stood in a large football field. He wore a black and white uniform and a helmet. A crowd was cheering loudly around him but the heavy spotlight surrounding the field made it impossible to see them at all.

A team of muscled and heavy looking Monokuma in their own uniforms stood in front of him. All of them looked vicious and ready to attack. A football lands in Freddy’s arms. A whistle blows loudly from somewhere and the game begins

**Dog Pile**

He looks at the football in confusion and then up to the massive team of Kumas. They all had their eyes locked on the football and, by extension, Freddy. And then they charge for him.

He yells out and makes a run for it toward the goal posts. They looked absolutely massive and the team of Kumas were slowly gaining ground on him. All he could do was the only thing he truly knew how. Play football.

He passes the forty. The thirty. Twenty. He was almost to the end goal! He was sweating and panting. The field was water bigger than anything standard. And t felt like t was only getting longer! But he knew if he just kept charging he would get there!

Then one of the Monokumas tackles him to the ground. It lands on his legs. There's a snap and Freddy screams loudly in pain. Another one jumps on him. Then another. And another and another and another. The screaming becomes muffled as more and more of the heavy bears land on him.

It only stops as the last one leaps into the pile. Blood pours out from under them all. Only Freddy's hand poked out. It's tight grip on the football finally loosens and he lets go. The ball rolls out of his limp hand and right over the goal line, which he had been taken down right in front of.

We all stare in shocked silence as the video finally ends. I felt sick. My head was swimming. Michael had left right after it had finished. I hardly noticed he was gone. I was far too focused on trying to keep my mind clear.

Pinocchio starts crying loudly. “H-He was my friend!”

“This...This is r-real...” Riley says, frightened.

Marionette wraps her arms around herself.

“F-Fuck...we’re all gonna die here, aren't we..?” Doc says softly.

I frown. “N-No way! We’ll get out of this together!” I say. I didn't sound very confident.

Monokuma growls. “What are you gonna do, huh? You think you will get them out? You gonna be the protagonist like your father, chump?!” he says sharply. I look at him, frowning a bit. “All of you out!” Monokuma says. “Go to bed!” Without much else to do, we all leave and go to our rooms silently, going to sleep.

“What was that shit you pulled in the trial room?” Monokuma hisses into my ear. “That whole ‘Oh we’ll all get it together’ garbage?” he mocks.

I frown a bit. “We will. We have to...”

“Don't forget your place, boy!” the bear replies. “You’re my little helper. Don't think it’ll all be rainbows and sunshine for you! Especially if the others find out about you!”

I was silence as the earpiece shuts off. I take it off and throw it across the room. I think it broke but I didn't care. I just rolled over in my bed and closed my eyes until I was asleep.

**Chapter 1: Useless Actions From Useful People - Completed!**

 

 

Carlos, Michael, Pinocchio, Riley, ‘Scot, Doc, Pete, Luna, Charles, ~~Freddy~~ , ~~York~~ , Marionette, Elly, Shelley, Van Helsing, Porker


	10. Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Daily Life Part I

**Daily City Life - Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most**

****

****

I wake up in the morning feeling just as tired as I did when I went to bed. Sleep was difficult for me and even when it did finally come, it was restless. The events of yesterday just refused to leave my mind. I rub my eyes and go get ready for the day.

An announcement plays right after the morning announcement did. “Could all students please report to the barrier?” he asks.

I grumble and head out of my room. Monokuma was standing on top of the wall. He had a hard hat in and dynamite was surrounding the bottom of the wall. He had a detonator with him. Everyone seemed extremely worried as we all looked up at him.

“I-Is he trying to get us killed?!” Pinocchio asks in shock. “I mean, I've survived explosions before, but I dunno if I can do it in front of everyone...”

“I say we get back inside!” Pete demands.

“If any one of you leaves my sight, I’ll be blowing you up next!” Monokuma yells from on top of the wall. “Now, let's get this party started!” He pushes down on the detonator.

Everyone screams and shields their faces as the dynamite goes off. Debris and dust are blasted everywhere and blows past us in a massive cloud. Monokuma yells as he's blasted off into the air and lands somewhere out of sight.

Pretty soon, an announcement turns on for us all to hear. “And now, we have unlocked the Volunteer Distract! You may all leave the Tourist District and move on!”

Tourist Distract? Is that was this street we had been on was called? The dust around us settles and we could see an intimidating Monokuma statue on a fountain staring down at us. That must be the edge of the street because we could see the two breaking points of it right pat the fountain.

The street separated down to the left and right. Both of those streets ended in barriers again. But there were a few places at our disposal. The first building I find was along the entrance road. It was a gas station. It looked like a large portion of it had been blown up. I walk into the building. It was still stocked with candy and other snacks. It also had a soda fountain that seemed to be functioning well enough. Other than snacks, it couldn't provide much for us and I soon left.

There was a hospital here along the road going to the left. The vast majority of the building was nothing but rubble. The few rooms that were intact were stocked with all kinds of medical supplies and, for some reason, one room had dangerous looking chemicals. We had anything we needed to go in as far as a surgery set up for us. I wander off soon.

The last building here was an old, dilapidated church right next to the barrier on the right. The heavy, old doors groaned as I opened them. The pews were old and rotten away. There was a large, wooden cross lying on the ground near the front of the room. The roof had a massive hole in it that let in sunlight. I could see the ladder to the bell tower but it was broken. The building was empty. I was about to leave when Monokuma spoke to me.

“Hey Carlos, I was wondering if any of your family told you what death is like,” Monokuma says to me through my earpiece.

“...I don't want to talk about that,” I say after a moment.

“Well I don't care,” the bear replies. “I do! So sit and speak!”

I frown softly and sit down on a pew. “No, I never asked them. The only person who would talk to me about it when I asked questions was Uncle Derek.”

“Aw, that's disappointing...” Monokuma replies sadly. I frown in disgust and cross my arms.

“Do any of them still talk about the game to you?” he asks me next.

I felt like this was going somewhere. “Mostly Uncle Derek, like I said. It’s hard to understand him sometimes. But that was when I was younger. My parents sat me down to tell the whole story once they thought I was old enough.” I say.

Monokuma hums softly. “Did any of them ever mention a boy named Craig?” he asks.

Craig. I knew Craig. I knew what they did to him. “Yeah...they told me everything about Craig...” I say softly.

“Truly is terrible how they could do something like that to their friend. Just kill him like that. Treat him like he's nothing. Squeeze the life out of his throat,” he says softly.

I stand up slowly. “I don't want to talk about this anymore.”

“I didn't say you could leave!” Monokuma snaps. “Sit! We’re talking!”

“No, we aren't,” I say.

There was a moment of silence. “...fine,” he says. “You can go. But next time he quieter. We have an audience.”

I look over to see Marionette, Charles, Doc, and Riley were standing in the doorway. They must have heard me from outside.

I stare at all of them for a moment before shoving past them and speed walking out of the door, head low and not looking at any of them.

\----------------

“So what was all of that about?” Riley asks after a moment.

“I told you he couldn't be trusted!” Doc declares proudly. “Yep yep, I was right!”

“I think he is simply caving in under the stress of all of this,” Marionette says in worry.

“He’s just a total cuckoo head!” Slappy says before cackling happily.

Marionette and Riley walks off soon enough. Doc looks back at Charles and gives a sleazy grin. “You aren't as stupid as those chicks, are ya?” he asks.

“He’s hiding something from us,” Charles says after a moment. “But for now, I say it’s wise to stick on his good side. That way we can decide how to get the information out of him.” And with that he walks off, Doc trailing after him excitedly.

\----------------

Now that my little...episode was over, I decide to go find someone to spend time with. I find ‘Scot in the gas station. He was getting himself a soda from the soda fountain. When he finishes, he drinks it through a mouth hole in the helmet. He really did think of everything for that thing. I walk over and get my own soda. “Hello!” he says cheerily. Seems he was calming down after yesterday. At least...it sounded like he was.

“Hey, ‘Scot,” I say. “You feel like hanging out?” I ask.

He nods quickly. “Sure, sounds like fun!” he says happily. I smile. I spend time hanging out with ‘Scot. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So you really just wear that thing all the time?” I ask him eventually.

He nods. “Yep! The only time I take it off is when I shower and clean it,” he says. Cleaning that thing must be awful.

“Don’t kids make fun of you and stuff? You would really rather wear that than just show your face?” I ask him. 

‘Scot looks away. “Yeah...kids make fun of me sometimes...they made fun of me when I didn't have it on, too. I just...I want to wear this, okay? There’s nothing wrong with that. Can we please stop talking about this?” he asks me.

I nod a little bit. He sighs softly and stands up. “Good. I’m gonna go now. See ya later!” he says cheerily before leaving. If he would rather be dressed like that at all times instead of just showing his face, it must be pretty serious. I head off.

I end up finding Doc outside of the rec center. He was fiddling with a controller and make a small robot move around. I walk over to him. “Did Shelley make that?” I ask him.

He looks at me and grins. “Sorta kinda! Shelley and I both made it. Together. So it has my own personal touch to it,” he says. What exactly did that mean?

He pushes a button and a laser pokes out of the robot’s eye. “I’m not afraid of a little beam of light,” I say. The laser fires next to my foot and burns the ground. I shriek and quickly run off. I spend time having Doc and his robot chase me. The two of us grew a little closer today.

The two of us were sitting now. He kept missing me on purpose, clearly just enjoying scaring the hell out of me with his toy. I leaned against him, completely exhausted from all that running. His lab coat was surprisingly soft. “Thanks for helping me test it out,” he says. He had a wide, crazed grin on his face. I wouldn’t exactly call that helping or testing, but I was too tired to argue with him.

“Why do you do stuff like that..?” I ask it if exhaustion. How did someone like this ever get into the school? He's a danger to everyone! Yet he manages to make friends faster than me...hm...

His grin widens. “Cause it’s fun! Fucking with people and upsetting them brings me a lot of enjoyment,” he says. Jesus Christ, no wonder he was a villain. He was completely nuts too! “I find nothing more exhilarating than seeing the look of terror on someone’s face because of me. It’s a great feeling, Carlos,” he tells me. His smile flickers away from a moment. “‘Sides, it's what I'm good at!”

What could that possibly mean? I don't think I cared at the moment. I slowly get up. “I’m...gonna go...” I say softly before hurrying off.

I find someone who was even crazier and more dangerous than Doc in the hotel lobby. Michael was there, tossing crumpled up paper and small pieces of debris into the trash can with a bored look. Naturally, every single shot landed. I felt nervous to be around him, but I should really stay on his good side. Besides, maybe I learned enough from Mom to be able and help him. I walk over and sit next to him. “Mind if I spend some time with you?” I ask Michael.

He looks at me and then nods. “Sure, no one else is willing to,” he says nonchalantly. I spend some time watching Michael make every shot. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Michael fills up the trash can with the junk he was throwing in. I had gotten the two of us sodas under his request. I was still an assistant, after all. “Do you regret what you did?” I ask him.

He looks at me, sipping his soda. “No, not really. Freddy was an idiot and York was completely useless. Neither of them would have lasted long, even if I didn’t do anything. I don't regret speeding up the enviable,” he tells me. He was lying. After all the time I spent with Uncle Richard, I knew what a liar looked like.

“Right...well...you really did out a target on your back,” I say after a moment.

“I'll kill all of you myself if it comes down to it,” he says bluntly. “I’m not going to die here. They were useless and in the way. I took them out. Simple as that.”

I knew he was lying. I don't know why he was or what his motives were but I don't think I was going to get any straight answers out of him. “...okay. Fine. I think I'm going to go to my room for the night then. Goodnight, Michael.” I walk off.

On my way up the stairs I bumped into Van Helsing. He had his arms loaded with snacks. He glares at me silently.

I shrink back a little bit. “Oh uh...hey Van um...” I needed to do the right thing. “...I’m sorry...about what I did...”

“You fucking better be,” he says sharply before going to his room. I head over to mine as well, planning to head in.

“...wait,” he says after a second of hesitation. I look over at him, hand on the doorknob. “Let’s...hang out sometime soon, okay?”

I smile a tiny bit and nod. “Sounds like a plan.” I head into my bedroom for the night.

I lay on my bed and turn onto my side. It wasn't long before I was drifting off into a very deep sleep.


	11. Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning feeling tired. The very first thing I notice when I wake up is how heavy my arm was. I look down at it and see a clunky bracelet with a screen strapped to my wrist. I frown and try to pry it off, but it was fastened on tightly. I sigh softly and give up. Monokuma had something to do with this. I go get ready for the day and after I leave the room, an announcement summons everyone to the rec center.

We all gather in the rec center. It seemed everyone had a bracelet on. Some of the others were still pulling or picking at them. Monokuma stood on the stage. He clears his throat and everyone looks at him.

“Hey, what's the big idea!” Luna snaps, holding up her arm. A bracelet was on it too. “He fuck is this?!”

“Do you like your fancy new jewelry? Because it’s your next motive!” he declares.

“What is some ugly accessory suppose to do to make us kill?” Riley asks, sounding more curious than anything.

“God, don't you kids pay any attention in history class?!” Monokuma demands. “Actually...dumb question. Anyhoo! These were the NG bracelets used in the si called Final Killing Game! Whatever actions appear on your screen will cause the bracelet to inject a painful and deadly poison into your system. It’ll kill you in minutes!” Everyone’s bracelets turn on. The screens lit up and we could all see our codes.

“They will activate in about...oh...five minutes? Just so everyone gets a chance to be prepared!” he says cheerily.

I look around the room. Everyone seems extremely worried. ‘Scot was already gone. I look down at my bracelet but it seems odd. Everyone’s name was on it

Porker: Eating anything but fruits and vegetables  
Shelley: Touching electronics other than your bracelet and handbook  
Pete: Showing your hands to the students  
Riley: Sleeping  
Elly: Having wheels under your feet  
‘Scot: Wearing your suit  
Van Helsing: Watching horror movies  
Michael: Not touching your basketball  
Marionette: Marionette talking  
Charles: Using dangerous chemicals  
Doc: Doing evil or mean things  
Luna: Pulling pranks that hurt people  
Pinocchio: Lying  
Carlos: Revealing what your bracelet says

I frown a bit. “Hey, what kinda bullshit is this?!” Doc yells at Monokuma angrily. “Only I should be allowed to do stuff like this to the others!” I look at Doc. What kind of response was that?!

Monokuma giggles into his paws. “Motives aren't supposed to be friendly! So suck it up or start killing!”

Riley sighs as she taps at her drum. “The bear is right, guys. We have to suck it up...” she says to the steady, sad beat of her drum.

Marionette nods. “Yeah, don't got another choice, do we Little Drummer Girl?” Slappy says with a cackle.

“Hey, that’s not what I said!” Monokuma snaps. But everyone left was already leaving the room.

“This will be annoying, but he can't control us!” Van Helsing says. “I’m not afraid of him! I’m not afraid of anything!”

Pete frowns a tiny bit and seems to glare at him. “Yeah...”

Everyone heads off to do their own things, still grumbling about the motive or bad talking Monokuma. I stare down at my bracelet. I had a list of everyone’s codes. I didn't like having this, but I was the traitor I guess. At least it would be easier not to make them trigger them. I sigh deeply and head off to go check on ‘Scot. He had run off before anyone.

After some searching, I find that he was locked up in his room. I knock loudly. “‘Scot? You okay, man?”

“Ah! I-I’m fine!” ‘Scot yells out from inside his room. “But um...can you go get me some food and water? I...can't do it myself...”

“Yeah, I can do that for you,” I say. I wouldn't ask why. I walk off to the diner.

I went into the diner get some food. I find Porker in there, unsurprisingly. He was munching on carrots, clearly upset. I sit down next to him. “Something up?” I ask him. He grumbles and sets the carrot down. “Stupid code is limiting what I can eat,” he grumbles. I pat his shoulder. “I can’t pig out in this kind of stuff!” he says. I guess I could understand that being an issue. “Want me to keep you company?” I ask him. He smiles and nods. “Yeah, that sounds nice!” he says. I spend some time keeping Porker company. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey, what’s your problem with your real name?” I ask.

Porker looks down at me. “Hm? Oh, it’s fine. Parker is fine. No problem with it. But everyone just started calling me Porker and it stuck. It wasn’t hard either. My parents are both award-winning chefs. They make lots of food all the time, so I was always eating something they made. Then I got popular with competitive eating. After that, Porker was just the name I got stuck with from everyone. I wear it with pride!” He grins after saying that.

I guess that made sense. It also explained his jacket. “Have you ever tried a different nickname?” I ask him.

Porker shakes his head. “Nah, don't need one. Porker is a great nickname!” He gets up. “I should go. Vegetables make me...uh...” He leaves before finishing that. I shrug a little and leave as well.

I go back up to ‘Scot’s room after a moment with some food and bottled water for him. I set them outside the door and knock.

“Oh, Carlos? Is that you? Did you get the food?” I could hear him walk over to the door but he didn't open it.

“Yeah, it's me. Got the food. Still not wearing clothes?” I ask him.

I could hear him grumble something. “I-I have clothes on! I have my reasons!” he says to me. There’s a moment of quiet. “Mind if you stick around?” he asks me.

I smile a bit and sit down next to his door. I hear him sit too. The door opens a tiny bit and I couldn't see the food and water. When it closes both were gone. I spend time relaxing with ‘Scot. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Do you like wearing that suit?” I ask him.

He hums softly. “Yeah, sure. It’s comfortable and warm but chilled if it needs to be. It’s pretty flexible and I can move easily in it. I love wearing it. Plus, it keeps me hidden and I feel safe,” he tells me.

I set my plate down. “Safe, huh? Hm...what would my Mom say about that..?” I mumble. I try to think about it. “Sounds like you’re afraid of showing yourself. You’re afraid of what others will think. So this is like a safety thing for you. That’s not very healthy,” I tell him.

‘Scot sighs deeply. “I didn't ask you to sound like my therapist,” he replies coldly.

“Sorry uh...I was just trying to do what my mom did. I wanted to help,” I say.

“Well next time, don't!” he says in a sudden snappy tone. “I’m going to bed, man. Night...” I could hear him walk away from the door. I frown a bit but decide to leave instead of bug him further.

I return to the lobby to see Riley tapping away at her drum. She looked kind of tired. I walk over to her and sit down. “What are you up to?” I ask her.

The tapping stops and she yawns. “I didn’t get sleep last night...and now this motive...is...” she trails off. She yawns again.

I smack her drum and she jolts up. “S-Sorry!” she says quickly.

I sigh softly. “I’ll hang out with you for a bit and keep you up,” I say. I spend time helping keep Riley awake. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I ended up talking with her to keep her awake. She did most of the question asking. I figured she was just curious and brush it off for now. “You’re surprisingly interested in me,” I say to Riley.

She kept tapping away. “So? I just like to know my friends better. Something wrong with that?” she asks me.

I shake my head quickly. “I never said there is! Actually, I kinda like it. It's better than people using me just to learn about my family,” I say.

She smiles a bit and taps faster. “Thanks...I’m just a curious person, really. I like learning whatever I can about people.” She yawns again.

I pat her shoulder gently. “Keep yourself up, okay? I’m heading to bed,” I tell her. Riley nods softly and I head off to my room.

I lay down and stare up at the ceiling absently. I felt a little bad for keeping Riley down there. But I needed to sleep and if I passed out next to her, she might try to sleep as well.

I felt my eyes slowly drift closed as my mind wanders off to thinking about nothing.


	12. Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Daily Life Part III

I wake up in the morning and yawn softly. I get myself out of bed and go get ready for the day. After that, I head out to go get myself something to eat. I was a little less worried about myself than I was for the others. My code was simple. All of them...I’m sure it was hard.

When I enter the restaurant, I see Shelley and Doc together. Elly bounces around them with energy as the two tinker with something. Upon closer inspection, I find that it was her roller skates.

“What are you two doing?” I ask them. They look up at me. Shelley wasn't actually tinkering it seemed. She was just watching Doc and handing him tools. “Upgrading Elly’s roller skates,” Shelley says in her bland tone.

Doc twists in a final screw and sets down his screwdriver. “There, there, there’ All ready!” he says. Elly grins and grabs them. She’s about to put them on when Shelley grabs a wrench and knocks them from her hands. Elly yelps in surprise and we all look at Shelley.

She still had the same bland expression. But I think there was a hint of worry to it. She sets the wrench down again. “Elly, be more aware of your code. You told me this morning and you’ve already forgotten.” Elly stares at her blankly. Then it seems to come to her.

“Oh...Oh, yeah, you’re right! Yeesh, that woulda been real bad, huh?” She rubs the back of her head. “I didn't realize how much this would suck...”

Doc hums and twirls his screwdriver around in his hand. “Hey Carlos, what’s your code?” he asks me.

I freeze up a little as the three of them look at me. I pull my jacket sleeve over the bracelet. “It’s uh...I’d rather not say,” I tell them.

Doc frowns a little and was about to say something when Elly chimed in. “That’s alright, Carlos! Whatever makes you comfortable, dude!” she says cheerily.

Shelley nods in agreement. “Don't tell if you don't want to. No one will force you,” she adds.

Doc grumbles and sulks in his seat. I sigh softly in relief and get breakfast, chatting with the three of them. When I was done, I left to hang out with someone else.

I find Riley in the kitchen. She was drinking coffee. I felt like she had already drunk an unhealthy amount of it. I go over to her. “Riley, have you been drinking coffee all night?” I ask her.

She yawns and nods weakly. “I’m just...waiting for Charles to...give me something to help...can you keep me awake until then..?” she asks me. I smile softly and nod. Riley smiles a bit too and yawns again. I spend some time keeping Riley company. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Riley mostly asked me questions like usual. I was used to it by now and just answered them. “Is there a reason you like to talk to the beat of your drum?” I ask her.

She shrugs a bit, still tapping away. “I just like to. There’s a sort of...calming rhythm to it all the time. And I like the feeling of having a tempo with me. Gives a sort of...base to work off of,” she tell me. Does that mean she has no idea what speed to talk at? That seemed to be what she was implying. Or maybe I was just reading too deeply into it. It just felt like whenever she gave me an answer, there was something else she wasn’t telling me.

“Well have you always played that thing? Don't you get tired or something eventually?” I ask next.

She shrugs softly and yawns. “I mean...yeah, sure I get tired. I’m still human and stuff. But I play it as often as I can manage. Especially when I'm talking.”

I don't think I'll ever understand Riley or her way of thinking. But I suppose the drumming made her happy. That’s what was important here.

Charles soon arrives with a bubbling vile. “Alright, it has a 60% chance of working and a 40% chance of making your heart stop. You ready for this?” He seemed to have little regard for her safety as long as she tested it. I didn't want to be involved, so I head out of the diner.

I find Shelley had moved to the rec center. She had a wrench and a screwdriver in her hands and was struggling not to work on her latest robot, which sat half done in the corner of the room. I didn’t think this would be so hard for her, but she looked ready to lose it. I walk over and gently place a hand on her shoulder. She jumps and looks at me. “Oh...Carlos...hey there,” she says softly.

I gently take the tools out of her hands. “This really isn’t a good place for you to be, let’s go somewhere else. Okay, Shelley?” I ask. She sighs and nods. I spend some time trying to keep Shelley calm. The two of us grew a little closer today.

By now, the two of us were in the lobby. Shelley had calmed down a lot but she still seemed to have a nervous tapping with her foot. “Shelley, are you feeling okay?” I ask her.

She nods quickly, messing with her glasses a bit. “I just...I just really want to work on my robots. But with this stupid motive, I can’t,” she mumbles. She was quiet for a moment. “Hey, how did you know I couldn’t mess with my robots?” she asks me.

I almost instantly start to panic. “Oh...well uh...I just...I guessed, is all. I saw the look on your face and the way you were trying not to get close so uh...I just assumed,” I say a bit too quickly.

Shelley nods a bit. “Alright...sorry, this whole thing is just stressing me out,” she says, rubbing her face a bit. With the way she was acting, I'd say this was more of an addiction than stress. But if t kept her from thinking too much about my minor slip up, I guess I'd have to thank it. She gets up. “I’m gonna get something from the hospital to calm my nerves. Goodbye,” she says before leaving.

Elly and Van Helsing walk downstairs. Well, Elly ran. “God, I wish I had my bike or my skateboard or something! That was so boring!” she groans. She looks around and leaps out an opened window. I was a bit concerned for her.

Van Helsing walks over to me. “Hey, you wanna hang out?” he asks me. I nod a bit and get up. “Meet me in the diner. I’ll be there soon,” he says before leaving. I head to the diner.

Pete was there, making his puppets fight each other. When I walk in, his hands dive back into his cloak before I could see them. He seemed really pissed right now. “Something wrong?” I ask him.

He looks at me. “Yeah, there is. This stupid motive...I hate it. I feel so powerless. So controlled...and it pisses me off!” he says angrily. He soon calms himself down and sighs. “Hey, can you grab me a soda?” he asks. I nod and get one from the kitchen. I set it down in front of him. A string wraps around it and it disappears into his cloak. I had to ask him to show me how he did that sometime. He stands up and leaves.

Van Helsing soon arrives and sits down. I get us some drinks and snacks. He smiles a bit. “Oh, thanks!” he says before opening up his soda.

Happy to help! So you just wanted to chat?” I ask him.

He nods. “Yeah, I want to get to know everyone a bit better before they die,” he says. Well, that was a little...depressing. I spend some time chatting with Van Helsing. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So your parents were part of the despair?” he asks me soon after I tell him. I nod a little. “Yeah...it’s a big shame in our family and they hate when I bring it up. But they’re really nice now. You know, my mom is really into horror movies too. Usually the ones with killers. She likes studying them,” I say.

Van Helsing grins. “Really? Then I’ll work on something for her tonight! It shouldn't take too long to compile. I’ll give it to you tomorrow and when we get home, you can let her have it,” he tells me

I smile. “That’s really nice of you. Thanks, Van,” I say. For such a creepy, dangerous looking guy, he was alright. “What about your parents? What are they like?” I ask.

He shrugs a little. “Not much to say about them. Dad’s a special effects artist and Mom’s an actress. The work together in horror movies. It's how I got into it in the first place,” he says. He gets up. “Anyway, it’s getting late. And I should go work on that little project for your mom. So, goodnight,” he says. He heads out of the diner.

I stand up and yawn a little. It was late, huh? I head off to the hotel and up to my room. I climb into bed and stare up at the ceiling. “Nothing to say tonight, Monokuma?” I ask.

“...you didn't do a very good job of trying to mess with your friends,” he says to me after a moment.

“You think I give a shit?” I ask him bitterly. “You didn't say I had to anyway...”

“...you better watch your tongue, boy...” the bear says ominously. He doesn't speak again. I end up passing out on my bed.


	13. Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning below!

I wake up in the morning and grumbled sleepily. I absolutely wasn't sleeping well. It was still early, so I roll over in my bed and try to go back to sleep. I knock someone off the bed and it hits the floor with a thud.

My eyes open and I look over my bed to see what I had just knocked over. I saw my NG bracelet laying on the floor. How did it come off my arm?

I look at myself. My arm was completely fine. It had just piped off. There was no reason for it to have happened unless...oh no!

I throw my blanket off of myself and hurry out of my room as the morning announcement plays. I run down the stairs and go outside. Nothing seemed immediately wrong outside. Some of the others who had heard my running around were leaving the hotel slowly as well.

I head down to the new street when I heard it. A loud, high pitched scream that came from the direction of the church. I quickly ran that way.

I throw open the church doors as I run in. I find Elly inside. She was on her hands and knees, shaking. She vomits onto the ground and starts sobbing. I rush over to her. “Elly! Elly, what happened?!” I say. She points a shaky finger upward at the back of the church. I look at it slowly.

In the back of the church, dangling from the ceiling and tied to the old cross, was Van Helsing. He had a pillowcase over his head. Someone had sliced open his stomach. His guts were hanging out. Blood coated his lower body and the floor. I scream loudly and fall back. That's when several of the others rush in. The body discovery announcement plays. That meant this was real. Van Helsing, the SHSL Horror Movie Expert, was dead.

**Killing City Life - Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Most Trusted**

****

****

I still couldn't believe this. I couldn't believe someone did this. Even after seeing it happen once before, I just couldn’t accept someone was dead. Van Helsing and I had been talking just last night and now, here he was, dead.

There was a moment of dead silence from those that walked in. Then, slowly, they begin to approach the body and investigate it or they left the building quickly.

‘Scot walks in and screams loudly. I go over to him. I had no idea what he was feeling with his helmet on, but I knew he shouldn’t see this. I lead him outside. I could feel him shaking in his suit.

Michael, Marionette, Elly, and Pinocchio were outside right now. I look at Michael. I didn’t trust him at all right now. He seemed pretty pissed though. The others probably wouldn’t let him inside to investigate. ‘Scot sits down with the others. All four of them kept a distance from Michael. I sigh softly and head back into the building to investigate.

I decided to start my investigation with the body. A knife, completely soaked in blood, was on the ground under Van Helsing. It didn't seem like a kitchen knife. Looking a bit more closely at the cross, it seemed it wasn’t even touching the ground. It was floating. I look up at the body. There was a pillowcase over his head, keeping his face hidden from view. There was clearly blood on the pillowcase. His NG bracelet was missing too. The ropes around Van Helsing’s arms didn’t look like they were tied very tightly. How were they keeping him up there?

I look around for what might be holding him up, but I couldn’t see anything. The hole in the roof didn’t bring any light to the back of the church. I frown and look around for anything else. I brush aside some debris and find a bottle of chloroform under it. This must have been used to knock Van Helsing out. Still, this whole set up seemed far too extravagant for a simple murder. I wonder why the killer would set Van Helsing up like this. It just makes no sense.

I sigh softly and look around some more. Most of the others had left to go look elsewhere and the ones left were left were on the other side of the church. “Okay, why are you doing this, Monokuma? Jealous of Junko or something?” I ask. I frown a bit thinking about her. Junko Enoshima, the SHSL Despair. A girl who caused wars and almost ended the world just for despair.

He giggles softly. “I am not jealous. In fact, I’m impressed with Junko. Especially her analytic abilities. I can almost relate to her boredom with hope,” he says. Wait, what did he mean by that? Did he have analytic abilities as well?

I leave the room and head to the hotel to look in Van Helsing's room. His room was a mess. A rag was laying on the ground that smelled like chemicals. I didn't get it too close to me though. His bed looked like there had been a struggle. Under it, I found his NG bracelet. It had a bit of blood on the inside.

I notice that one of Van Helsing's knives seemed to be missing. There was a case for it, but it was empty. I notice Van Helsing's DVD player was on but the TV was off. Turning on the TV has a movie start playing on the menu screen. That was weird. He couldn't have been watching this thanks to his code.

I left the room and headed to the hospital. I found the space the chloroform used to be. The medicine around it was knocked over and shoved around. The killer must have been in a hurry to leave a mess like this. A roll of bandaging was also missing. I sigh softly and leave.

The trial announcement plays and everyone heads to the rec center. The elevator was waiting for us and everyone gets on. It shudders and groans and begins to move down. Another murder has taken place and another one of our friends were dead. Everything about this trial felt weird. But I had to do this. For everyone who died and everyone who was alive. We’d do this together! The elevator stops and the doors creak open. It’s time for the second class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guts/intestines


	14. Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone steps off the elevator and into the trial room. Freddy and Van Helsing’s pictures now joined York. None of us look at them as we take our stands. “I would like it if someone could fill me in on the evidence since I was barred from entering the church,” Michael says.

Luna frowns. “Maybe we would have let you in if you weren’t such a dick!” she yells angrily.

He scowls and looks at her. “I was simply playing by the game’s rules. And let’s not forget you were the one who faked a murder and threw hot sauce filled pies into people’s face,” Michael retorts.

She scoffs, offended. “It’s in the job description! SHSL Prankster! You still got two people killed!” she yells angrily.

Michael rolls his eyes but I could tell he was bothered by it. “Then I guess we’ll just let you get away with mentally and physically harming others. Hell, we might as well let Doc murder and get off scot-free since he’s the SHSL Villain!” Michael shoots back.

“If the two of you don’t shut up, the killer is going to get off scot-free! So put your pathetic grudges aside for now and focus!” Charles says angrily. The two of them stop talking, but the tension between the two of them doesn’t lessen in the slightest.

“If we may get back on track, I only saw the body for a moment. But I was wondering why Van Helsing had the pillowcase over him. It seems rather pointless,” Marionette says.

She was right, I didn't see much of a point to it. “Maybe it...has something to...do with our codes...” Riley says softly. The beat of her drum was slow and she was swaying softly like she was about to collapse. I sigh softly. I couldn’t reveal I knew everyone’s codes, so I wouldn’t be able to help as much as I wanted. I frown a bit and look around.

Everyone begins to rattle off their codes. “I wasn’t allowed to leave my room,” ‘Scot says. Wait, what?

“I couldn't use my strings,” Pete says next.

That’s not true. Both of them were lying. But why would they lie? There was no way both of them were in on this. ‘Scot’s code of not being allowed to wear his suit and Pete’s code of not showing his hands would make the two of them suspicious. I guess they never told the others their codes, either.

Pinnochio was frowning a tiny bit. He seemed to be thinking about something. What was up with him? “Is something wrong, Pinocchio?” I ask.

He looks up at me quickly. “Huh?! Oh...no. No! No, I’m fine.” He sweeps his hand through his hair.

“Pinocchio, are you lying to me?” I ask him.

“I’m not lying!” he demands. “I’m not a liar!” Once again, his hand goes through his hair.

“Why would you assume he's a liar?” ‘Scot asks. “Come on, that's not nice!”

I needed to back up my claim somehow. There had to be something I could think of. “I've spent a decent portion of my life with the ex-SHSL Liar,” I say. “I know every single tell there is. And Pinocchio, every time you lie, you sweep your hand through your hair. Pinocchio, if there’s something you know, our need to tell us.”

He frowns a tiny bit. “...’Scot’s code was wearing his suit. He told me yesterday.”

Everyone looks at ‘Scot. “Why would you lie about something like that?” Shelley asks him.

“Yo, I bet the bear’s secretly a psycho killer! That would be totally awesome, dude!” Doc says excitedly.

“N-No, I’m not!” ‘Scot says quickly. “This is why I lied about it! I didn't want you guys to think I was the killer. I swear I didn't do it to hurt anyone! I wouldn't kill, I promise!”

“Hey, it’s alright buddy,” Pinocchio says. “You just got a little freaked out!” He smiles.

‘Scot seems to relax a bit. “If you two are done, we have a murder to solve,” Doc says.

Shelley sighs. “Right, so, I’d like to know if anyone else is lying about their code,” she says. No one answers. I couldn't keep quiet about this.

“If no one else is gonna fess up, that only leaves ‘Scot with a reason to blindfold him,” Charles says. “Being as determined as him to hide his face from everyone would be plenty of a reason to do that.”

‘Scot whimpers a little bit. “B-But it wasn’t me! Someone else must be hiding it!” he demands quickly. It's not like we could prove or disprove that statement.

“Alright, let's focus on something else,” I say.

Everyone nods in agreement after a second. “Let’s talk about how the killer got Van Helsing down there,” Porker says. “Would it have to be someone strong enough to carry him? I don't see how they could get him to go willingly.”

I think for a moment. “They didn't get him to go willingly. But they didn't need to carry him either,” I say.

“Then how would someone get him down to the church in the first place?” Pete asks. “He must have gone willingly, I don't see another option. There wasn't anything around to knock him out with.”

There wasn't anything to knock him or with? That couldn't be right. “No, that’s wrong! Someone did knock him out! They chloroformed him!”

“How do you...know that?” Riley asks sleepily. I was surprised she was still standing.

“I found a bottle of it in the church, under some debris. And there was a mess in the hospital from where he killer searches. Not to mention the wet bandages laying in his room!” I declare.

Charles nods slowly. “Yes...Yes, that makes sense. Something that powerful should keep him out long enough to get him to the church. And the pillowcase in case he did wake up. I doubt the killer would know if he would,” he explains.

“Um, does that mean that the killer had no idea how well that stuff would work?” Luna asks.

I nod. “I bet they had no idea if it was even the right stuff. There was a mess of the different things in the medical cabinets in the hospital. Someone was looking for something to knock him out,” I say.

“Where was Creepzilla attacked?” Slappy asks us. “We gotta know if we’re gonna do this shit! Don't tell me you assholes forgot all about that!”

Doc frowns a little. “Could you keep that thing under control? It’s freaking me out...” he grumbles.

Pinocchio smiles a bit. “Well I think it's adorable!” he adds. Slappy just snarls in response and Pinocchio’s smile drops.

“In the church, right?” Shelley asks. “I found the bottle for the chloroform there.” It sounded possible, but I didn't quite believe that. Was there another answer? I had to think hard about this.

_Where was the chloroform found?_

In the church.

_Why couldn't he have been attacked in the church?_

There was no evidence he ever went there.

_What evidence is there that he was somewhere else?_

A movie was on in his room and there was a bandaging there.

_So what does that tell us?_

He must have been attacked in his own room!

“I got it!” I say suddenly. “Van Helsing must have been attacked in his room! He dropped rag and playing movie proves it!”

“Wait...what do you mean a movie was playing?” Riley asks softly. “That...can't be possible...” She yawns.

“Huh? Why can't it be possible?” Pete butts in. “This is Van Helsing we're talking about! The dude was better friends with his movies than half of us!”

Riley shakes her head gently. “No...No, it can't be true. His NG code...it was watching horror movies. There’s no way he could have been watching it. He told me himself...”

“Perhaps it was just a movie he had been watching before the motive started and he never did anything about it,” Marionette suggests.

“No, it definitely wasn't,” I say. “I remember watching movies with him he might before the motive. He turned his TV off when I left. The movie playing wasn't the same one. There’s no way he could have been watching anything else!”

“But...that would mean...that Van Helsing died of poisoning,” Porker says softly.

“How can any of us even prove that?!” Pete demands suddenly. “We all saw the body! Not to mention the chloroform! How can any of us know he died from the NG bracelet?!”

“It wasn't on his wrist when we saw the body, but it was hard to tell,” Charles mused. “It could have fallen off anywhere when he motive officially ended though.”

“I saw it in his room,” I say. “It had fallen under the bed. There was some blood on it. I think from when it injected him.”

“It must have fallen off of him after he died,” Michael says. “That would be the end of the motive.”

“But then what’s the point of the pillowcase?” Luna asks. “If the entire murder was just Van Helsing dying from the prison, then why hide his face? I thought it was from someone trying to hide something.”

“Maybe it was to hide the poisoning from us! Ever think of that, Humorless?! Or is your head more hollow than mine!” Slappy snaps.

Luna scowls a bit. “Marionette, you better knock it off with that stupid puppet before I show you a piece of my mind!”

“But it isn't me!” Marionette demands quickly. She looked a little annoyed too.

“Maybe the motive was forced onto him,” I say, trying to get back on track. “If someone made him look at the movie, that would force the NG bracelet to go off.”

”Hold on a minute!” Elly cuts in suddenly. “That makes no sense!”

”Huh? What doesn’t make sense about it?” I ask her.

”All of it, man! There’s no way the motive is the cause of death!” She demands.

I’m not sure what she was trying to get at, but if I was going to move on with the trial, I’d have to convince her.

“The motives can’t be the cause of death!”

”It makes no sense!”

”Why would we even be here?!”

”No, I’m positive the NG bracelet killed him,” I say. “But if you have another idea of how he died, I’ll listen.”

”Uh, his about the fact that he was fucking gutted?!”

”You’re clearly missing the important evidence of you aren’t thinking that!”

”He died in the church because his stomach got sliced!”

In an instant I saw the problem with Elly’s theory. I knew how to end this! “Let’s cut through those words!” I yell.

”Wh-What are you going on about?!” Elly says in shock.

”Van Helsing couldn’t have died in the church,” I say. “His NG code has fallen off in his room and under his bed. Plus there’s was blood on it!”

”But...But why does that count as murder?!” She demands.

”If someone forced him to watch the movie, it would be like they killed him,” I say.

“So everything after that was staged to make us think he died in a different way,” Michael says. “If you fake the death you ruin the entire murder. Interesting...”

“All of that is great, but we aren't anywhere closer to finding the suspect. Our only guess is ‘Scot,” Doc says.

‘Scot whimpers some more. It was kind of pathetic. “B-But I said it wasn't me!” he demands.

Pete scowls. “Oh shut up! It has to be you because there’s no other evidence!” he says.

No more evidence? That wasn't true, was it? Was ‘Scot the killer after all of was he being framed? The answer was there. It was forming slowly in my head. And all of the sudden...I had it. I knew who the killer was!


	15. Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Killing Life Trial Part II

“No Pete, that's wrong,” I say. “This is far from over.”

He looks at me, frowning. “What do you mean?” he asks me.

I cross my arms. I was trying to look confident. “There’s something we haven’t talked about that I’d like to explain. The cross Van Helsing was tied to. It had appeared to be floating, but I know that isn’t the case,” I say.

Some of the others nod a bit in agreement. Hopefully figuring this out could let us solve this murder.

“Maybe it’s God’s way of saying fuck you to Van Helsing,” Doc suggests. He had a wide grin.

“Now isn’t the time for making fun of someone’s death!” Luna shouts at him angrily.

Michael sighs. “Something thin and strong must be holding him up. Some kind of wire. Although how they managed to get him up there is beyond me,” he says. A wire...of course!

“Pete...aren’t your strings thin and hard to see? I know you used them on me before and I couldn't even see them,” I say to him.

He looks at me. “What? Uh...yeah, sure, why?” he asks.

I shrug a bit. “Just a little odd, is all. You’re the only one with strings like that. And if they’re strong enough to control a human, I’m sure suspending Van and the cross is no problem,” I say.

“Wait, are you trying to accuse me of this?!” he demands. “That’s bullshit! Someone easily could have taken my strings and used them to frame me!” Was Pete really going to say something so pointless? Even he could see that no one was buying it.

“No one could control those strings like you could,” Charles says. “I doubt any of us would have the skill to hang Van Helsing up like that.”

Pete looked panicked now. “Well...well...well well well well well well well well WELL! WELL, I DIDN’T KILL HIM! THERE’S NO WAY I COULD HAVE USED MY STRINGS TO HOLD UP THAT CROSS! MY NG CODE PREVENTED IT!”

I knew he was lying. He was the only one who could have possibly done it. It just had to show it to him and everyone else.

“But that’s not right--”

_“YOU’RE UNDER MY CONTROL!”_

“--because you could--”

_“I’LL MAKE YOU PAY!”_

“--use your strings--”

_“DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK?!”_

“--if you were lying to us!!” I yell through his words.

“What proof do you have about any of this?!” He screams. Don’t you remember that I couldn’t even use my strings! That was my code!”

This was it! The glaring hole to his argument! “That’s where you’re wrong!” I yell out.

Pete freezes on the spot. I had him.

“I got a soda for you the other day. But those strings of yours weren’t what you were hiding from me because you used them! It was your hands. Your code was showing your hands, wasn’t it?!”

“That...That isn't...I mean it can't...” Pete stumbles over his words, trying to make excuses. But this was over.

“Let’s go over this whole thing one last time and end this!”

Pete didn't respond to that.

“Last night, the killer snuck into the hospital and stole a bottle of chloroform and some gauze. They would use this, but not to knock out Van Helsing. It's to distract us. The killer snuck into his room and probably found him asleep. So they put a movie into the DVD player and turned the TV on. That must have woken him up. And once Van Helsing glanced at the playing movie, his NG Code was activated and the poison was dispensed into him. Once he had died, all the bracelets came off, signaling this was an official murder and the motive was over. The only reason this counted as a murder was because the NG Code had been forcibly activated. Van Helsing’s NG bracelet must have fallen under his bed and of if the killer’s sight. Once he was dead for sure, the killer set it up so it looked like he had been chloroformed. Then get out a pillowcase over his head to hide the effects of the poison. They took one of his knives and left the room. In the church, they tied him to a cross using the strings only they know how to control. Hey used some old rope to hide what really held him down securely to the cross. Then they put the cross into the air with their strings and used his knife to cut open his stomach, effectively making a fake murder. Then hey dropped the bottle of chloroform and left. And only one person here could use those strings! And that's you, Pete!” I say.

Pete doesn’t answer. His head was hung low. “Wh-Why did you do it..?” Pinocchio asks softly.

Pete chuckles darkly. “Why did I do it..?” he asks softly. He hums a little. “Why did I do it?” he repeats. He looks up at us all. “I DID IT BECAUSE NOBODY GETS TO MAKE A PUPPET OUT OF THE GREAT PETE GALLOWS! THIS MOTIVE WAS THE ABSOLUTE LAST STRAW! NO ONE GETS TO CONTROL THE PUPPET MASTER! NO ONE!” he screams at us. I shake my head in disbelief. He’s gone absolutely batshit insane. “VAN HELSING THOUGHT HE WAS SO GREAT, NOT BE AFRAID, NOT LETTING HIMSELF GET CONTROLLED! WELL, I SHOWED HIM! I SHOWED YOU ALL!”

“Alright everyone, time to vote!” Monokuma cheers. “Who’s the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?!” Everyone votes for Pete.

Monokuma giggles. “That’s right! Pete Gallows, the SHSL Puppeteer, is the killer!” he says.

“Pete, you are an absolute idiot,” Michael says. “You thought you were stopping yourself from being controlled by the mastermind, hm? All you did was play right into his hands...”

“He is correct!” Marionette agrees. “By murdering, all you did was do what Monokuma wanted!”

There was a blank stare on Pete’s face, as if what everyone was saying just registered with him.

“You...You didn't have to do this...” ‘Scot says softly.

Pete screams loudly in pure, unbridled rage suddenly. He flares his cloak out, making it flow behind him. He spreads his arms and lets his puppets drop down. Their strings were wrapped around their necks like nooses. “YOU’LL ALL PAY FOR THIS!” he screams. “ALL OF YOU!”

Monokuma pulls out his hammer. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!” he cheers, slamming the hammer down on the button. Pete’s strings lash out. I feel them tickle my throat before he gets dragged away screaming. I let out a shaky sigh and we all turn to the screen.

**Pete Gallows has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Pete's limbs were tied up in strings that seemed to disappear into the sky. He was standing on the end of a long plank of wood that stuck out over the edge of a pit. There didn't seem to be any bottom to it. One arm goes up in the air. Then another. Someone was testing out the strings.

He attempts to tug his arms out of the strings. They yank him backward and he stumbles. Then they yank him forward and he stumbles more. They start to move to the side and he quits fighting them. That’s when his leg sticks out and he takes a step forward.

**No Strings Attached**

Pete’s other leg goes out for another step. The resistance starts again as he tries to pull away from the strings and go backward. Instead of being thrown around like a rag doll, he gets someone to discipline him.

A human-sized puppet drops down in front of him holding a pair of scissors. The struggles stop as Pete looks at it. Then he scowls angrily and begins to pull on the strings again. The puppet reacts and slashes at him with the blades. His arms are thrown in front of himself by the strings and they get cut open by the scissors.

His leg kicks it and the puppet loses its balance. It falls and disappears into the pit below. Pete continues his slow, hesitant walking. He stands at the very edge of the plank. Pete starts to resist again, trying to pull himself backward.

The strings of the puppet stop and begin to reel back in. The puppet he knocked down flies back up and lands behind him. The board wobbles a bit. The scissors slash out and cut the strings holding onto Pete. Pete wobbles forward, about to fall. But he catches his balance and stumbles back, bumping into the puppet.

He turns looks at it. The puppet rams the scissors into his chest. Pete looks down at it. His legs shake and he takes a step back and blood drips down his chest. The puppet kicks him hard in the stomach and off the board. Pete flies back and disappears into the pit below.

Everyone stood in silent shock as we witnessed yet another execution. Pete had been driven to the point of madness and not even death was allowed to be a comfort to him. He was tortured to the very end.

“That...That was awful...” Marionette murmurs.

“He didn't have to do something like that. He could have come to me if he needed to talk...” ‘Scot says sadly.

“He wanted to kill everyone. I say to hell with him,” Michael replies coldly.

“Damn dude, I like your style!” Doc boasts cheerily. Michael scowls and walks out of the trial room. Pretty soon we all did.

Everyone returns to their rooms for the night. I lay in my bed, looking at the ceiling sleepily. Pete...he wasn't a bad guy. Not at all. A little misguided but not bad. But Monokuma prayed on his insecurities...he did that to everyone. Including myself. Tomorrow...that was the day I would stand up for myself.

I soon fell asleep.

**Chapter 2: The True Puppets Are Those Trusted Most - Completed!**

Carlos, Michael, Pinocchio, Riley, ‘Scot, Doc, ~~Pete~~ , Luna, Charles, ~~Freddy~~ , ~~York~~ , Marionette, Elly, Shelley, ~~Van Helsing~~ , Porker


	16. Chapter 3: Identities Destoryed and Life is the Cost - Daily Life Part I

**Daily City Life: Chapter 3 - Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost**

****

I wake up in the morning feeling groggy and tired. Last night’s trial kept playing in my head. I try to push those thoughts away for now as I get ready for the day. I head to the diner to get myself some breakfast.

I find everyone here. Porker was stuffing his face. The others were picking at their food or eating normally. Some look over as I entered. I felt an odd sense of guilt wash over me. I was lying to all of my friends. I was working for the mastermind, the one doing this to all of us. I knew it couldn't go on like this forever.

Marionette looks over at me. “What’s with the long face, Bitch Boy?” Slappy asks me. “You really sad that Control Freak died?”

I frown a little bit. I guess I didn’t like everyone here. “Marionette, why do you always say things like that? These are our friends that are dying,” Luna says.

Marionette quickly shakes her head and sighs deeply. “As I have said before, I am not saying these things. It is Slappy,” she insists. When we got out of here...no, if we got out of here, I’d have to take Marionette to Mom. Clearly, she could use the help.

I sigh and take some of Porker’s food, sitting down to eat and think. I notice Charles and Doc and I think a few of the others were glancing at me and muttering. I was doing a shitty job as the traitor. The others were catching on. That only made me feel worse about everything.

While we were eating, Monokuma summoned us to the wall on the right. The others head off and so do I. Monokuma was on top of the wall again. Instead of dynamite, he had several large bombs along the bottom that reminded me of cartoons. A long fuse connects to all of them was in his paw and a lighter was in another.

“Is this even safe..?” I ask softly.

“Who cares?!” Luna demands. “This is gonna be wicked cool! Wa better than the last one!”

Monokuma lights the lighter without a word. We all watch the fuse burn and the flame get closer and closer to the bombs. Soon, the fuses were all burnt out and bombs explode. Most of us sheiks ourselves from the explosion. Monokuma yells as he’s blasted off into the air again. Once the dust settled, an announcement plays. “The Communal District is now open for all!” Without much of a choice, we all head into the new street.

The street was along the road of the church and continued on in a straight line. The stopped at another barrier. A welcome sign for the town was here, the town’s name missing for some reason. But this seemed to be the edge of the town. This barrier probably wouldn't come down for a while.

The first area of interest we had was a pool. The water looked clean enough for me to want to swim in it at least. It was pretty deep though, going up to eight feet. There was plenty of rubble around the pool too. A few lounging chairs were set up and there was a changing house, one room for boys and one for girls. Naturally, I was only able to get into the boy’s room.

The next area I visit was an old skate park. The wooden ramps seemed rotten and old. There were some dips and railings that looked safe enough to use. The fence blocking off the area was rusting away and nearly collapsing. Both Elly and ‘Scot were here. ‘Scot was rolling around lazily on his skateboard. Elly was going as fast as she could on a dirt bike. I'm sure she was happy the last motive was over. I didn’t feel like getting in her way at all and move on.

The next place was a small gym. Lots of different workout equipment was set up within in the old looking building. Dumbbells, treadmills, and other things you would expect to find. There was a water fountain here that seemed to be in pretty decent shape as well. I notice Porker was running on the treadmills highest setting. I didn’t want to bother him so I leave.

The last place here was a small elementary school. The building was falling apart and it looked like someone tried to burn it to the ground. I couldn’t get into most of the rooms. The principal's office, gym, cafeteria, and two classrooms were the only places I could actually access. Unsurprisingly, I find Michael in the gym playing basketball. I had no real interest in talking with him though. What I do find a little surprising is Riley going through the filing cabinets of the principal’s office instead of doing what I would expect her to be doing, sleeping. I didn’t take her for the investigative type.

“Hey Riley, what are you up to?” I ask her.

She spins around quickly. “Carlos?” she says to the beat of her drum. “I was...just taking a look around. I was looking for anything that could help us but I didn’t see anything. Now I think I should go sleep. See ya,” she says before leaving.

I watch her go. Was she hiding something from me? I guess no one did trust me right now. I give the cabinets a quick glance anyway. I didn’t see anything. If she found something, she took it with her. I look out the shattered window to see Pinocchio walking down the street, reading something. It looked like a file but he was out of sight before I couldn’t get a good look. That was weird. I doubt he would tell me what it is if I asked. I leave to try to spend time with the others and take my mind off of everything.

I find Charles mixing things in the hospital. Whatever he was making had him wearing his goggles and a surgical mask. “What are you up to?” I ask him.

He jumps a little, startled. He glares at me. “Don't sneak up in me like that!” he snaps at me. He huffs a little and goes back to his mixing. “Chemicals are very delicate. Add too little or too much and you could have dire consequences,” he warns.

I nod a little bit and walk over. “You mind if I help?” I ask him.

He looks up at me. “I suppose I could use a lab assistant...fine, I’ll let you help. Then I want you out of my hair,” he tells me. I nod and spend time helping Charles with his chemicals. The two of us grew a little closer today.

He finally finishes his work and pulls his mask down. I was a bit upset I didn’t get one if he thought he needed it that badly. I didn’t even get goggles. I sigh a bit and cross my arms. “So how did you ever get into chemistry? I would have figured you would do a sport or something with crime solving,” I say.

Charles glares at me. “Unlike you, I actually have a sense of identity and won’t turn into a carbon copy of my parents,” he snaps. I frown a bit. Nice jab at the self-esteem.

“I didn't mean it like that...” I say softly.

Charles sighs a bit. “I know you didn’t. I guess I have my mom’s temper.” He gives a weak smile before it goes away. “Anyway, I guess I got into it because...I wanted to be different from parents. I didn’t want to be remembered because of them. I wanted to be my own person. You of all people should understand what it’s like to stand in your parent’s shadow,” he says.

I nod a little bit. I completely understood that feeling. I felt like that all the time. “I’m gonna go,” I say. He nods and I head off. Talking with Charles was weird. I always felt guilty for whatever reason...

I head to the skatepark just for Elly to ram into me and send us both to the ground. I groan a bit and push myself up a bit. Elly hops up quickly. She pulls me to my feet and dusts me off. “Good as new!” she says cheerily.

I smile weakly. “Yeah...thanks...” I wasn’t about to tell her that my body was aching.

She grins wide. “Hey, you ever popped a shoulder back into place?” she asks me. I nod a little bit, scared from the question.

She grins wider. “Great! Then you’ll be my spotter!” She drags me into the skatepark. I spend time making sure Elly doesn’t break something. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Elly only managed to get a couple bruises. According to her, it was a personal best for least amount of injuries. “I don't understand how you can do this to yourself,” I tell her.

She shrugs, still smiling. “You gotta be fearless! Don't let anything stop you! You might get hit a few times, but letting that take you down is pussy talk!” she says excitedly.

From what I’ve seen her do, using logic and reason isn’t a part of her formula either. She seems to rely fully on instinct. The kind of person to do the first thing that pops into her mind without thinking it through. I wish I could have that kind of recklessness and bravery.

“Elly, stuff like this is how people get themselves killed. Aren’t you afraid of that happening?” I ask her.

“Nope!” she says. “Death doesn’t scare me. If you’re going to let suit get in the way, then you don’t debate the title of SHSL Daredevil! Elly Daring fears nothing~!”

She was absolutely crazy. She’s going to get herself killed at this rate. But I don’t think I could convince her to stop this.

She hops up on her roller skates. “See ya later! I gotta meet up with Riley for some awesome action music!” Elly rolls away. I head off.

I find Pinocchio in the diner. He was crafting some stuffed animals at the moment. Toy cars, wooden dolls, and other small toys sat around him, completed. I sit down across from him. He looks up at me and smiles wide. He had a really bright and innocent smile. It really went with his general look. “Hello, Carlos!” he says cheerily. He sets the stuffed bear down. “You wanna help me pass these out to everyone? I want to try and bring up everyone’s spirits in these dark times!” he says. I smile a bit and nod. I spend time passing out toys with Pinocchio. The two of us grew a little closer today.

We sit back down in the diner after passing everything out. I get the two of us sodas. “Thanks for all your help!” Pinocchio says cheerily. I smile a bit and nod. “I really hope this helps the others,” he says. He frowns a little bit. “Seeing people hurt upsets me. A lot. I really hate it. I've learned that a gift and a smile can brighten someone’s day! Toys are the gift I like to make the most. They mean something to people. I think it helps the most,” he tells me.

Wow...that was an incredibly kind thing for him to do. And—Wait, did he just sweep his hand through his hair?  
“Pinocchio, I saw that. You’re lying again, aren’t you?” I say.

He blinks a bit and quickly puts his hand in his lap. “Uuuh...well...maybe just a tiny bit,” he admits after a moment. “I kind of made toys because of my mentor. He taught me everything he knew. I did it for money...a-at first! But I started to realize there was more to it then money!” He smiles nervously. He didn’t sweep his hand through his hair this time, at least. But it’s hard to tell if he was just aware enough to avoid it this time or not.

I smile a bit after a moment and stand up. “Well...I’m glad you at least use it for noble things,” I say. “I’m going to head to bed now. Goodnight.” I walk off, waving as I left.

————

Doc and Charles run out of Charles’s room. Smoke poured out and the two were coughing. “Why didn’t you warn me that would happen?!” Doc demands, still coughing.

Charles lifts up his goggles. “Because it had only a 5% chance of happening!” he retorts.

Doc scowls. “So what?! It still has a chance of happening! You know what, it doesn’t matter. It’ll just be easier to get Carlos into the room,” he says.

Charles nods in agreement, dusting himself off. “We’ll find out whatever it is he’s hiding,” he replies.

————

I walk upstairs to see Charles made a mess in his room again. Doc was with him this time. The two of them wave me over. “Yo, Carlos, mind giving us a hand?” Doc asks me.

I smile a bit and nod, heading into their room. “Sure thing guys. No problem,” I tell them. They follow me in.

Get out of there you idiot!” Monokuma hisses into my ear. I frown a bit.

Doc and Charles grab me and force me into a chair. The two of them quickly tie me up. I start to panic and struggle in my bindings. Charles closes the door. “H-Hey, what the hell are you two doing?!” I yell out, angry and afraid.

Doc grins maliciously. “Oh, no worries! You totally won’t be murdered! Promise!”

Intense up in my chair, now afraid. Where they going to murder me?!

“Doc, you’re terrible at calming people down,” Charles says in annoyance.

Doc tilts his head. “Huuuuh? Am I supposed to? This is a kidnapping! You gotta make it fun!”

Charles sighs deeply. “Look, Carlos...the two of us used to be friends. And I’ll always remember that. And you’ve been very helpful during the trials, and I appreciate that. But we know you’re hiding something and it’s time you told us.”

I started struggling more as Doc grabs me. “Now, this will either do what it's supposed to or cause severe stomach pains,” Doc warns. He injects me with the serum. At first, I felt no different. Then a horrible stabbing feeling spread through my lower abdomen. I groan and double over the most I could.

The two frown. Doc grabs a new syringe. “This will either do what it should or make you feel freezing cold,” he says. He injects me with it. I was clearly trying to resist everything. I feel shivers start to wrack through my body. My teeth chatter. Doc looks at Charles, who seemed worried. “Wanna keep going?” Doc asks. Charles stared at me for a moment then looks away, nodding without a word.

Doc grabs another one. “Alright. This one might kill you. So let’s see what happens!”

He walks over. “W-Wait, but you’ll be blackened!” I say quickly.

Doc gives me a wide, crazy grin. “I'll do anything in the name of science! Besides, who’s ever gonna know you’re gone?”

“I can get rid of the body,” Charles says. “No one will ever find it.”

Tears prick my eyes but I fell silent. Doc finally injects me. I felt...nothing. Nothing changed. I could use this to get out. After watching me for a moment, Charles finally speaks. “Alright Carlos, what are your secrets?” he asks. I look up at the two.

“I...I...I’m terrified of scorpions. I’m a sucker for romance movies. My middle name is Hope. And...And I’m afraid of becoming despair,” I say. Some of that was true, some of that wasn’t.

“Yeah, Yeah, no one gives a shit!” Doc snaps. “Tell us what you’re really hiding! Tell us about the mastermind!”

I frown a little. “But I'm not hiding anything from you two about that!” I shout. They look at each other. They whisper something I couldn't hear but it seemed like an argument. And Doc loses. Then they untie me. I hurry off to my room.

————

“This he’ll blab?” Doc asks Charles once I was gone.

Charles shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t see why you care, though.”

Doc grins. “Oh, I don’t! But what about you? Hmmm?”

“I could be as hated as Michael and I wouldn’t care,” he replies simply. “But I doubt he’ll say anything.”

————-

The effects of whatever the hell they put in me was wearing off now. I lock my door. “That’s it, I’m done working for you Monokuma! No more of this crap!” I say.

There was silence for a moment. “Okay,” he says simply. I frown. There was no more answer though. I set the earpiece down.

What was he up to? He shouldn't give up that easily. I yawn. Whatever, I need sleep. I lay down and fall asleep.


	17. Chapter 3: Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning feeling...kind of better. I felt less guilty now that I wasn’t working for Monokuma anymore. I climb out of bed and get ready for the day. I head out, still feeling a lot better. Of course, that doesn't last long. Monokuma calls everyone to the rec room. I suddenly felt nervous and make my way there.

Everyone enters the building. The bear was already waiting for us. Monokuma pulls a handful of letters out from behind his back. Our names were written on each of them. “It’s motive time everyone!” he says cheerily. “And today’s motive is...secrets! Yours, specifically!”

There’s a collective groan from everyone. I was getting increasingly nervous.

The bear plucks one of the envelopes from his hand. “Every day I will read two secrets out for everyone. Fail to arrive or leave early and you will be met with a swift execution,” he tells us darkly.

Monokuma looks at the secret he held. We all held our breath nervously. “And today’s lucky winner is...Marionette!” he cheers. We all look at her. We see her eyes widen and her face pale.

Monokuma opens the envelope. He grins and chuckles. “Marionette has been abused by her parents for years, which caused the creation of Slappy!” he says.

I felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She was shaking a bit. “N-No!” she demands. “No, that is simply not true. Mother and father love me dearly!”

Pinocchio walks over in an attempt to comfort her. “D-Don’t touch me!” She snaps suddenly. Pinocchio quickly backs off.

Monokuma pulls out another letter. “And the runner-up is...Carlos!” he says. I look at him, eyes wide. I pale a bit. He wouldn’t dare...would he? Monokuma opens the envelope. “Carlos...is the traitor planted among you all!” he says. All eyes slowly turn to me

“What the hell?!” Luna says angrily.

I back away a little. “You’ve been working for the bear this whole time?!” Pinocchio asks me.

I tug on my jacket nervously. “H-He said I would die first and I listened to him. He told me he would protect me! I was scared and I said yes!” I tell them all. I tried to sound strong but my voice and weak and frightened.

I ran out of the room by that point. Tears filled my eyes and I wasn’t sure what happened after that.

I crawl into my bed and curl up. Everyone must hate me now. I betrayed all of them. I was going to be the next victim for sure. And I deserved it. I still felt responsible for everyone’s death so far. I feel tears prick at my eyes. I cry for a while. Some of them came knocking and tried to talk to me but I ignored them all.

At some point, Porker left me a tray of food. I ate it and left the tray to be taken away again.

I stayed curled up on my bed until I end up falling asleep and I didn’t wake up for the night.

————

I get woken up by Monokuma’s stupid announcement. I didn’t feel like dying a pointless death, so I climb out of bed and head down to the rec center.

Everyone was already there. I didn’t want to get involved in any conversations or arguments, so I hung out in the back of the room for now.

Monokuma grabs two more envelops. “It’s time for the next exciting motive! Let’s see who’s deepest, darkest secrets get revealed! Are you already?!”

“No!” Luna calls out.

“Great! Our first winner of the day is...Shelley!” Monokuma says. Her opens her envelope. “Shelley amputated her own leg and replace it with a robotic prosthetic for no real reason,” he announces.

She crosses her arms, looking unamused. “I did it in the name of science. I don't have to explain myself,” she states simply.

Monokuma pops open the other envelope. “And the second winner is...Luna!” he cheers.

Her face pales. “Me and my big mouth...”

Monokuma grins wide. “Luna purposefully tripped her father down the stairs, killing him instantly!” he announces to us all. “You know, murder and self-mutilation are the first signs of despair,” he says. And with that, he leaves.

Everyone looks at Luna. She had her arms wrapped around herself. She was shaking, her head hung low. “I-It was just a joke...” she says weakly. “A pratfall. I did it all the time. B-But...But he didn’t get up. He didn’t start laughing. He didn’t yell at me. H-He...broke his neck on the way down...and it was all my fault...” Her grip on herself tightens. She lets out a shaky breath and starts sobbing. “I always take it too far!” she wails. “I’m so sorry!”

Everyone was quiet as Luna sobs, falling to her knees and practically crumpling up into a heap. Some of the others leave. Doc, Pinocchio, and I walk over to her. Doc takes off his coat and gently wraps it around her. She sniffles and pulls it close. Pinocchio hands her a stuffed animal and she hugs it close to herself. I kneel down next to her and she leans against me. She calms herself down slowly, but it wasn’t for long.

“Thanks...” she says softly. She stands ups “...I need to go...” She hurries out, looking like she was about to cry again.

Doc trails after her quickly. And Charles follows behind him.

Everyone slowly headed out of the red center. I left too. I didn’t have the energy to go hide in my room. I went to the diner instead. Michael was there, drinking some soda. I sit across from him.

“...so...everyone hates me more than you now, right..?” I ask him after a minute.

He looks at me. “Hm? You’re still worried about that?”

“...I...I betrayed everyone! I made them think I was their friend and I was working with Monokuma the whole time!” I demand. “I got people killed!”

“Well, they were all talking during dinner yesterday after Porker brought you food. ‘Scot said that you were still their friend. And then Pinocchio mentioned how there’s no way you weren’t roped into it. And Shelley said being called out by the bear means you broke off from him. So they decided to forgive you,” He says.

I smile a tiny bit. “R-Really..? Wait, what about you? Didn’t you forgive me?”

“I was never mad in the first place,” he says. Hen he stands up and walks out. I don’t think I’d ever understand Michael.

I notice Luna had walked in. She was picking at a plate of food. She didn't seem very hungry but had made it anyway. I walk over and sit next to her. She glances at me then back to her food. “Do you mind if we just hang out..?” she asks softly.

I give a small smile. “Of course we can,” I say. I spend time keeping Luna company. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Luna zaps me with her joy buzzer and laughs a little. Seems she was getting back to normal. “So Luna, mind telling you how you got into pranks?” I ask.

She smiles a little. “Well...it started out as accidents. I didn’t do stuff on purpose, but it still happened. I was a bit of a klutz. And it made people laugh and like me. And I found that...I kind of enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun for me to do. And once I started doing real pranks...I got hooked,” she tells me.

Her smile falters a bit. She seemed to be thinking about something. “But...sometimes I take it too far...and then people get angry...”

She was probably thinking about something. Probably her dad. Maybe others. I wasn’t really sure. But I knew she was hurting.

“Anyway, I’m gonna go now. Thanks for hanging out with me,” she says. She heads out. I do too with a little sigh. I walk off, still worried about her.

I noticed Shelley was in the gas station. She had on a surgical mask and surgical gloves. She was eating a candy bar at the moment. Was...Was that blood on her?!

“Shelley, what the hell happened to you?!” I demand quickly.

She looks at me and adjusts her glasses. “Hm? Oh, no, I’m fine. I’m just going through a surgery. I needed a break,” she replies blandly.

“A...A surgery?! A surgery on who?!” I demand quickly.

“Doc,” she says plainly. This was getting me nowhere! Shelley wasn’t going to tell me anything! I spend time getting Shelley to tell me the whole story. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So Doc wanted a robotic arm and you just gave it to him?!” I ask worriedly.

She shrugs. “I don’t see what the big deal is. I got him to sign a waiver.”

“Shelley, that’s not the problem! Why would you give something like that to him?!” The thought of Doc having a powerful, robotic arm he could just freely tinker with sent a chill down my spine.

“He asked,” she says. “And I wasn’t going to say no to a free test subject. I should be getting back to him now. I’ll see you later, Carlos. Maybe I can give you something new too. The offer is always open.” She walks off.

I don’t think I liked how Shelley so openly and uncaringly did things like this to people without considering consequences. I sigh deeply and walk off.

I enter the gym only to find Porker working out. He didn’t really strike me as the type to do exercise. Then again, it’s not like you got a physique like his just from chowing down all day, every day. He probably had to work harder when we didn't have the gym just to keep in shape. I walk over to him. He looks down at me and grins. At least he didn’t seem to hate me. Either that, or he was faking it.

“Yo, Carlos, you mind spotting me with the weights?” he asks.

I smile a bit. “I’d love to help, Porker!” I say, trying to be as cheery as I could. I spend some time spotting Porker. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Porker sets the weights down eventually. He sits up and wipes off his brow. He was pretty sweaty from all his working out. He disappears into the changing room and shortly returns, back in his usual clothes and dry. “Wow, you’re pretty fast,” I tell him.

Porker grins. “Hey, just cause I’m big doesn’t mean I'm slow!” he says. He walks back over to me. “I was wondering, but why are you so...muscular anyway? Do you just like the look? I wouldn’t think it would be necessary for competitive eating,” I say.

Porker shrugs. “Just cause I eat all the time doesn’t mean I have to turn into an overweight, unhealthy lardo,” he says. “I have no intentions of letting myself get out of shape just because I like to eat. That’s stupid.”

I guess I could understand that. Although he seemed a bit offended that I even brought something like that up. He heads out with his gym clothes. I sigh a little bit and leave as well, retiring to my room for the night.

I find sleeping hard. I kept looking over at the earpiece I wasn’t using. I still felt horribly guilty, even if everyone was so seemingly forgiving of me.

“Hey kid,” Monokuma whimpers through it, “if you wanna team up again, the offer is open.” I scowl and throw it into my dresser drawer, slamming it shut. Then I go to sleep.


	18. Chapter 3: Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost - Daily Life Part III

We get woken up by the same announcement. Two more secrets would be revealed today. I sigh softly and get out of bed. I get ready for the day and head down to the rec center.

I first thing I notice when I entered was Shelley tinkering with Doc’s arm. Except...it wasn’t his arm. It was a robotic arm! They actually went through with it! I walk over to the two.

The two of them look at me and Shelley closes the compartment on Doc’s new arm. “Doc’s new arm of fully functional and ready to be used,” she says to me. “It is some of my best work.”

Doc grins wide and tests out the hand. “Nice!” he says. Then he grabs my throat and lifts me off the ground. I gag, grabbing at his wrist. My legs flail around wildly as I try to get myself back onto the ground. Then Doc lets me go.

I land on the ground with a thump. I groan softly and prop myself up, putting a hand to my sore throat and coughing a little. Doc laughs wildly. “Gahahaha! This thing is great already!” he says happily.

Shelley smiles a tiny bit. “Just be sure not to go into any body of water. If it gets waterlogged, it’ll become heavy and stop working. You won’t be able to get yourself out. I’ll explain more later,” she says.

Soon, everyone was here. Two new envelopes are plucked out from the dwindling pile without much of an introduction. “The first one is...Pinocchio!” Monokuma says.

Pinocchio frowns a tiny bit. “Please don’t...” He says softly.

“Pinocchio...is a pathological liar because of the awful things he does to people who wrong him!” Monokuma announces.

Everyone looks at him. “What...What does that mean..?” ‘Scot asks softly.

“I-I don’t have to talk about this!” Pinocchio demands quickly, backing away.

“Next is Porker!” he says.

Porker’s Face pales a bit. “W-Wait, you don’t have to tell them!” He demands quickly.

Monokuma completely ignores him. “Porker was born and raised to be a cannibal, eating the dead bodies of the people the gang that raised him killed!”

All heads turn to Porker. I could see the tears pricking at his eyes. I frown softly. “Porker—!”

“Don’t call me that!” Porker demands quickly. “Don’t ever say my name like that!”

Porker ran off in a hurry before any of us could stop him. Pinocchio was soon to follow him out.

Everyone just stood in silence after the two ran out. By now, Monokuma has left our sight but we weren’t paying much attention anymore. Pretty soon, we were all leaving as well. I went off to try to help Porker and Pinocchio

I find Porker first. He was in the diner, unsurprisingly. He was sniffling and stuffing his face like usual. He was in the kitchen, sitting on the floor and shoveling ice cream into his mouth. I walk over to him and sit down across from him. “Pro—uh, Parker?” I ask. He sniffles again and keeps eating. All I could do was watch until he stopped. He looked sick.

“...so...do want to talk about it..?” I ask softly.

He nods weakly and sniffles again. “Monokuma...is telling the truth. I was born for this...to eat people...corpses, anyway. I...I was a human pig. I got rid of the evidence all on my own...”

“That’s awful!” I say. “People doing something like that...it’s disgusting!”

“My name...My real name is Porker,” he goes on. “That’s what they called me when I was born. I just tell everyone it’s Parker so they think it’s some dumb nickname...” he says softly. I give him a hug. His arms wrap around me tightly. Almost crushingly tight. I felt like my spine was going to snap in half.

He eventually lets me go and stands up. I stand too, wheezing a bit and trying to catch my breath. Porker seems to have calmed down. “Want to come check on Pinocchio with me?” I ask him. He nods a little and the two of us leave.

We find Pinocchio in his room. The door was open and we could see ‘Scot was hugging him gently. He was crying into the suit’s chest and hugging him in return.

‘Scot looks at the two of us as we enter. “Carlos! Porker! Thank God, you two are here! Please help me!”

The two of us walk over and sit down on either side of ‘Scot.

“I...I do bad things to people that wrong me!” Pinocchio blubbers pathetically, Clearly still thinking about how Monokuma worded it.

“It’s alright, don’t worry!” ‘Scot assured with a cheery voice. “No one is mad at you!”

“I don’t know what you did and I don’t care,” I tell him.

“We’re still friends in the end!” Porker says, grinning ear to ear.

Pinocchio looks up at all of us, sniffling and wiping his face. Porker and I were smiling reassuringly. None of us were sure about ‘Scot, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he was too.

“Y-You guys are sure..?” he asks softly.

We all nod. “Course we’re sure!” Porker says.

Pinocchio cracks a smile. “Thanks, guys. I...feel a little better now.”

The three of us spent a bit more time with Pinocchio before we all headed out of his room.

I go off with ‘Scot to the skatepark, wanting to try out his board for myself. He rolls around lazily on his skateboard. He doesn't do much than that. He lets me ride on it too. I actually tried to ride it like I saw people do on TV. I end up falling off a lot. But it was kind of fun. I spend some time riding around with ‘Scot on his skateboard. The two of us grew a little closer today.

I hop off his skateboard. “So is this thing part of your usual act?” I ask him.

He nods and picks it up. “Sure is! Kids love to roll around on it too, so it helps with that. And it helps me get around town!” he says cheerily. “Helps escape the mobs of people who think I’m some kind of criminal mastermind, too. Although they aren't really around much anymore!”

Um...wait, what was that last part? I think he seems to realize what he said because he gets fidgety. “Uh...but yeah, the kids are great. I usually carry around little toys and candy for them. I always have something nice to give out!”

“Wait, what was that part about being a criminal mastermind?” I ask him.

‘Scot gets even more nervous. He quickly gets on his skateboard. “See ya!” he says before rolling away. There seemed to be a lot I didn’t know about ‘Scot. I sigh and head off.

I find Michael playing basketball by himself in the school. He looks at me as he shoots another shot from the halfway mark in the gym. He waves at me as I walk in. “Oh, hey there, traitor,” he says. I frown. Was that suppose to be a joke? I couldn’t tell if he meant any harm from that.

He grabs his ball and tosses it to me. “1 on 1,” he says. I assumed I didn't have a choice. I spend some time losing to Michael. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Michael, why are you such an asshole?” I ask him. He looks at me, his ball under his arm. “Being straightforward, I see. It’s just how I am, I guess. Always been like this. People bore me. Unless I decide to...change the rules a little. When you control the game, you control the outcome,” he says. He smiles a bit and looks at me with a very bland expression.

I still don’t think he was telling me the whole truth. This whole thing...it was just an act, wasn’t it? He was just acting like a jerk because of the game. I was sure of it.

He throws the basketball and hits my head. “Well, I’m bored with you so get out of here, traitor,” he says. I sigh a bit and leave. Not much I could do for him.

I find Charles making experiments out of his food in the diner. I sit down across from him. He doesn't look at me as he makes a bowl of soup begin to boil with some green concoction. He pushes the bowl over to me. “Drink it,” he says sharply. I look down at it then up at him. He just watched with cold, uncaring eyes. I hesitantly pick up the bowl and drink its contents. It wasn’t as warm as it had seemed and it tasted like chicken broth. I finish all of it and set the bowl down and wait for a reaction.

Charles smiles warmly. “Alright, I’ve forgiven you completely. You just tested something with a 90% death rate and survived,” he says.

Was...Was that a joke? I’ll just pretend it is. Some kind of trust test...but aren't you supposed to tell the tester what might happen first? Either way, maybe I can rekindle our friendship. I hang out with Charles for a while. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Hey Charles, do you like to give percentages to everything..?” I ask him.

He nods. “Of course! Percentage means certainty along either path. I like to have that kind of certainty. I put percentage to everything I possibly can,” he says.

How did he manage something like that? Sounds stressful. I guess I shouldn't question whatever makes him happy. “I knew you were the traitor the whole time,” he adds. “But I just wanted to be sure.” I nod a bit and say nothing. I didn't want to talks about that.

I end up spending most of my day just talking with Charles. It was nice...for a while. But the day would end in tragedy.


	19. Chapter 3: Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning below!

At some point, Charles and I had gone to my room to just relax and hang out. We both had drinks and we were just talking about life at home, or parents, our talents, and just anything. It was nice to talk to Charles like this. Like friends.

It was getting dark outside by the time someone knocked on my door and I went to answer it. ‘Scot was there. “Hey, have either of you seen Pinocchio? I went back to his room to check on him but he wasn't there. He had said he wanted to show me something important yesterday,” He asks me. He peeks behind me to see Charles standing close by. He waves a tiny bit and Charles nods in response.

I shake my head a little. “Haven’t seen him since I left his room this morning,” I say.

“Can you help me find him?” he asks next. He sounded pretty worried. The two of us get up and look around with ‘Scot. We don't find him for a while.

We head to the pool eventually. The first thing I saw I never expected to see in the first place. In the bottom of the deep end of the pool was Doc. He floated lifelessly in the water, pinned to the ground by his robotic arm. The body announcement plays. I cover my mouth and look at Charles. He runs off to the changing room, looking sick. He screams as soon as he entered. Me and ‘Scot followed.

At first, I didn’t see anything wrong. But once I walked past a row of lockers, I saw it. Lying in the floor in the room was Pinocchio. His chest has been completely ripped open and blood pooled around him. His heart was missing and he stared at the ceiling, eyes empty and blank. He had a look of terror on his face. The body announcement plays for the second time. There was no way. Two dead. Two of us were dead. Doc Ashton, the SHSL Villain, and Pinocchio Schwartz, the SHSL Toymaker, were dead!

**Killing City Life: Chapter 3 - Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost**

****

I stared in shock at the second body on the floor. ‘Scot gags a little and runs outside to vomit. Even Charles looked disgusted by the body. “We should start investigating...” he mumbles softly after a moment of silence. I nod softly in agreement and the two of us get to work. I look at the body first.

Pinocchio’s chest had been completely ripped open. His ribcage has been shattered and his lungs were in poor shape. His heart was missing from his chest. I shudder a bit and felt bile rise in my throat. Who and what could possibly do something like this? I also notice he was only in his swimming trunks. He must have been planning to get into the pool. I decide to look for his clothes.

I find them stuffed into one of the lockers. Under his clothes was a file. It has the Hope’s Peak emblem on it. I take it and flip through it. It seemed to be info on all of us according to the first page. Except all the pages were ripped out. Everyone’s was missing. There was a note in the file as well. It read: Come meet me at the pool. We need to talk. Did someone lure him here?

I put the file back and look around the room some more. I end up finding a heart-shaped chocolate box in a locker. I open it. Pinocchio's heart was sitting in the box. I shriek and drop it, spilling the heart and bloodied chocolates out of the box. Something else falls out too. A piece of paper. It was covered in blood and melted chocolate and was nearly impossible to read. But there was one very crucial part I could see.

_SHSL Spy._

__

It was written in bold on the paper. This must have come from that file. Someone here was lying about their talent..?

I don't see anything else in here. After Charles makes sure I was okay from my “girlish screaming”, I leave the changing room. The smell of blood and death was absolutely horrific...

Just as I thought, the others were already here and getting to work. Michael and Riley slide past me to go into the changing room while I look around out here. I look into the pool first.

There was absolutely no way I would be able to get to Doc’s body from here. And I didn't feel like getting wet anyway. Besides, I could probably never lift him. But...I knew someone who could!

I look around for Porker. He was just arriving and sees the body. “Hey, Porker, I need your help. We need a closer look at Doc’s body. Can you fish him out of the pool?” I ask him.

He looks at me, bugged eyed. Then into the pool. Then back to me. He nods slowly and walks over to the edge of the deep end. He takes off his jacket and shoes before splashing in.

After about a minute, he hauls the corpse out of the water. Doc’s body hits the ground with a wet splat, his hair and coat fanning out around his body and water pooling around him. Porker sighs and leaves to dry off. I thank him as he left and go look over the body.

Doc’s head had a really nasty wound on it like he hit it on something. He was completely soaked, but that was to be expected. His robotic arm seemed to be stained in something, making it red. I empty out his pockets. Most of his devices were on him and were now just as wet as he was. Some didn't even work anymore. One was missing though. His freeze ray wasn't anywhere in sight.

I frown a little bit and go look around some more.  
A large patch of the ground next to the pool was completely iced over. It looked incredibly slick too. I put my foot on it to test it and almost fall over entirely. I sigh and look around a bit more.

I find something hidden away in the bushes. It...looked like it was half of a cinderblock. One side of it was splattered in someone's blood though. Around it was mechanical parts. Someone smashed something with it. I stand up again and dust my jeans off.

“The only person who would do this is someone still hiding something,” I mumble to myself. Who hadn't been called on yet? Let’s see...it was Elly, ‘Scot, Charles, Michael, Riley, and Doc. Well...Doc was already dead. So that left five suspects.

I find ‘Scot and pull himself aside quickly, moving away from the others. He seems a bit nervous. “Um...what do you want..?” He asks me.

I look at him, completely serious. “Tell me your secret,” I demand.

He shakes his head quickly. “N-No way! I just got out of needing to do that, there's no way I'm going to just tell you!” He says quickly.

I sigh softly. “‘Scot, I don't want to suspect you. I know you’re a really nice guy. So just let me know what your secret is, or I’m going to have to assume you are part of this somehow” I tell him.

He shuffles uncomfortably and sighs softly. “O-Okay...fine...I’ll show you,” he says softly.

‘Scot reaches up and takes off the helmet to his costume. The first thing I see is his burnt, scarred skin. Some parts of his face weren't scarred at all, but they clearly weren't his own skin either. His hair was brown but patchy. Parts of it were missing here and there and some of it looked horribly singed. His ears seemed melted onto the sides of his head and his nose was deformed.

He quickly puts it back on and looks away. “My whole body is like that...” he mumbles softly. “Are you satisfied?” he asks, looking back to me.

I nod softly. “I promise not to tell anyone,” I say.

He nods a bit and leaves. I leave too. I ask the other four about their secrets, but I get the same answer from all of them. “No!” in varying degrees of angry. And none of them were willing to budge on it as easily as ‘Scot did. The trial announcement plays before I could get anyone to say anything. I sigh deeply and we all head to the rec center.

We all get into the elevator and it begins to go down. I still had four suspects in mind. But it might not be any of them. Doc was on the list, so maybe he got attacked. I had no way of knowing right now. But I would figure it out. For both of them! And for everyone else too! The elevator creaks to a stop nod the doors open. It was time for the third class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chest gore


	20. Chapter 3: Identities Destoryed and Life is the Cost - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone takes their place at their podiums. Pete, Pinocchio, and Doc were the latest to join our fallen friends. And after this trial, another one would join...or the rest of us would. And I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I look around at everyone. Luna had very clearly been crying. Charles’s eyes were downcast. ‘Scot kept shifting his weight and rubbing his arms. All of them must have been torn up about this murder.

“Should we just...pick a body to start with..?” ‘Scot asks softly. No one really knew how to answer. It's not like we had to deal with two bodies before

“Let’s start with Doc then,” Charles says sharply. We nod in agreement. It was a better place than nothing.

“Well we know he drowned,” Riley says to the mysterious beat of her drum.

Shelley frowns softly and nods. “His arm. I warned him getting it waterlogged would make it heavy. It must have held him under the water,” she says monotonically.

Porker frowns. “Why would you make him something like that? It sounds like he wouldn't even be able to shower or bath or step into the rain!” he says.

She shrugs. “I didn't have what I needed to make it waterproof. I was gonna upgrade it later but...” she trails off. She sighs softly. “I shouldn't have made the stupid arm in the first place...although I’m still very proud of it...”

Marionette looks at Shelley, worried. Slappy looks over to. “Come on, Robo-bitch! This ain't your fault! Someone else musta known and tossed his ass into the pool!” the puppet tells her. Shelley nods a little.

“I don't think Doc was pushed in,” Riley says in tempo. “I saw that patch of ice sitting right next to the pool. He obviously slipped on that!” she demands excitedly. That didn't sound right to me.

“Well...I don’t know,” I cut in. “There was a bloody cinderblock hidden away. I think someone hit him in the head with it and dumped him into the water.”

Riley looks at me, the beat of her drum pausing before beginning again at a slower pace. “But then why would the ice patch be there?” she asks us.

Michael looks over. He seemed...less bored than before. “Oh, so you finally got to that. The answer is pretty obvious. Carlos, surely you understand what happened here, right? I’ll let you handle this.”

Wait, me?! Why was this suddenly my problem?! Everyone was looking at me now. It seems I didn’t have a choice. I was going to have to concentrate and figure out the answer fast.

_What happened to Doc?_

__

__

He was drowned in the pool.

_How did he get in there?_

__

__

He was knocked out with a cinderblock.

_What does that make the ice?_

__

__

A diversion of some kind.

_So what does that mean about this whole murder?_

__

__

It was staged!

“I got the answer!” I yell out suddenly. “The ice was there to trick us! Doc’s murder was staged like an accident!”

“There we go,” Michael says.

“The killer could have used Doc’s freeze ray to make the ice,” Charles muses to himself.

“That would mean it was taken from him, probably after he was knocked out!” Luna declares loudly.

“I found some kind of machine smashed up. It was probably his freeze ray,” I say.

Riley nods a bit. “Right...that all makes sense...”

“Can we talk about Pinocchio now?” Luna says. “I don't want to go on about Doc anymore...” She looks down. This clearly upset her.

Elly smiles and nods. “Sure thing! Besides, Pinocchio is super weird! I mean, who just goes up to a guy and rips their heart out? How do you even do that?” she says.

“Maybe it was cut out,” Riley suggests steadily. “It could easily have been faked like Doc’s murder.”

Charles shakes his head. “No, his chest was ripped open by something. That wasn't a knife,” he replies.

“How did they even get him there?” Luna asks.

I think for a moment. “A note,” I say. “Saying they wanted to talk with him. I bet it had something to do with the file he had.”

Michael arches a brow. “File? What file?” he asks. Did he not see it?

“A file with student information in it,” I say. “All the pages were missing. One of them had been stuffed inside the chocolate box with the heart. It was impossible to read, so I assume that was the reason,” I explain.

“Impossible to read?” Porker asks. “Absolutely none of it?” Ah, wait, that wasn't true.

I shake my head. “I could read something. A talent was on it. And it said the SHSL Spy,” I say. Everyone seemed shocked by this. Riley’s drumming got softer.

“There is a spy among us?!” Marionette asks. “Why on earth would such a thing happen? Why would they lie about their talent?!” I shrug. I had no more idea than anyone else.

“Then we can assume whoever this is is the culprit,” Charles says. “They may have been the one to remove Pinocchio’s heart. We need to decide what did that. Some kind of weapon must have been used to do it,” Charles says.

“Do we even own anything like that?” ‘Scot asks. “...actually, I don’t think I want to know about that.”

“”Maybe a bomb was planted inside of him!” Slappy says. “And it went boom!”

I try to think of an answer. Something powerful had to do it. But with a grip as well. “That’s it!” I say. “Doc’s robotic arm! That thing could have ripped out Pinocchio's heart without any problem!”

The others were quiet. “So...So Doc did it..?” Riley asks softly to the slow and quiet beat of her drum.

I nod. “The bloodstained arm is proof. Doc had to be the one to do it,” I say. “Doc murdered Pinocchio. Afterwards, someone killed him,” I say. “We have to find out who was with Doc at the time of the murder.”

“If I may intrude,” Marionette speaks up, “I think our most likely candidates are those with secrets still unknown to us. One of them must be the spy. It would be wise to start with them,” she says.

I look at everyone still hiding a secret. Elly, Charles, Michael, and Riley. I knew ‘Scot’s already. “You guys should tell us your secrets now,” I say.

Michael crosses his arms. “I’m not spilling,” he sneers.

Charles nods a bit. “Me neither,” he says.

Elly huffs. “No way am I gonna say anything! I already said no!” she demands.

Riley's drumbeat picks up. “I don't have to tell you guys anything!” she says to the beat.

‘Scot looks away from everyone. “I already showed Carlos...I'm not showing anyone else...” he mumbles.

I look at Michael. “You, out of all people, won't share your secret?” I say.

He glares at me. “If you're implying I would be dumb enough to let me soil my hands with blood, then you clearly aren't very intelligent,” he states loudly.

I sigh. “Just trying to cover all my bases. Besides, I was pretty sure you weren't afraid of us. But I guess I was wrong,” I say softly.

Michael scowls. “I'm not afraid of any of you! If you have to know, my secret is that I like to poison the water supply of teams we lose too. I find it to be very satisfactory,” he says. That honestly didn't surprise me at all. Although I still couldn’t be sure if it was part of his weird act or not.

I look at Charles. “Okay, what about you?” I ask him. He crosses his arms but says nothing.

I sigh softly and look away. “I’m worried I’ll never be as great as my parents,” Charles says softly. “I mean...I have a lot to live up to...so that's my secret, okay?” he snaps. I nod a bit and look at Elly.

Elly mutters angrily but she didn't seem to fight it as much as the others. “I only do my stunts for attention...” she grumbles. Why...was that her secret? At any rate, I assume that was it because it looked tough for her to say. That left only Riley.

Her drumbeat had been steadily picking up speed as time went on. I think it meant she was getting nervous. She was also the most suspicious to me.

“So Riley. What's your secret?” I ask her.

She frowns. “I don't have one,” she says quickly with the drum beat. I frown.

I think quietly. I think about everything I knew, everything I’ve been told. The answer was looking me right in the face. And after a moment, I had it. I knew who the killer was!


	21. Chapter 3: Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost - Killing Life Trial Part II

“Riley, just tell us what it is,” Charles says.

She shakes her head. The beat of her drum gets faster. “I won’t because I don't have one to give! Why don't we make ‘Scot say his first?!” she demands angrily.

I shake my head. “We don't need to. ‘Scot already told me his secret and I told him no one else had to find out,” I say. Riley looks to me, furious.

“Oh, so we're just supposed to trust you?! The guy who betrayed us all?! I don't think so! I know what you're up to and I won't stand for it! You can’t pin this crime on me!” Riley yells angrily. A Russian accent was beginning to slip out. I hadn't noticed it before.

“Then tell us your secret!” I demand. “If we’re going trust you, you need to be honest with us! I want to believe it wasn’t you, so tell the truth!”

The beat to Riley’s drum gets even faster. “I am being honest! You’re the one no one can trust! In fact, I can't trust any of you! All of you are hiding something! Full of secrets and lies! None of you can judge me like this! You don't have the right!” she yells angrily. This was getting nowhere. I had to put a stop to this.

“I know your secret, Riley!” I tell her.

She somehow manages to get angrier. “Be quiet you sniveling piece of shit! You know absolutely nothing! NOTHING!” she screams in a thick Russian accent. I frown.

“I do know something--“

_“Silence, traitor!”_

”--and it's that your talent--”

_“I’ll beat you until you stop!”_

“--isn't really the SHSL Drummer--”

_“Shut your filthy mouth!”_

“--it’s really, the SHSL Spy!” I yell out through her words.

“You can’t prove that!” she screams. “You can’t prove ANYTHING! I am Riley Porters, the SHSL Drummer, and I didn’t kill Doc! And you can’t prove me wrong otherwise!”

“That’s where you’re wrong!” I yell out suddenly. “I’m positive if we compared your handwriting to the note, there would be a perfect match!”

The drumming stops as Riley rips a hole in it. Riley’s drumsticks fall from her hands and clatter to the ground. She was silent and stared at me. I sigh softly. “Let's go over the entire case to make sure we didn't miss anything,” I say.

“Pinocchio managed to get his hands in that file at the school. That's what the killer was trying to find when I saw them there. He probably revealed he knew their true talent during the motive or they saw he had the file. They didn't want that to get out. They needed to stop him. They recruit Doc to help them, probably telling him that his secret was in his profile. They wrote the note and got it to Pinocchio. Then, after he was changed at the pool, Doc attacked him. He tore out Pinocchio’s heart and attempted to hide his and your profile by tearing them all out. Of course, being the SHSL Villain, he wanted to have a bit of fun. He put the heart in the chocolate box along with the killer’s filer. Once he was outside, they double-crossed him. They hit him in the head with the cinder block and froze the ground next to him. They used that to slide him into the pool. Once he was in, it drowned him. The only one who could pull off something like that is the SHSL Spy! And that would be you, Riley!” I say.

Riley was quiet. “Don’t...call me that...” she says softly. She spoke in a very thick Russian accent now. “My name...it is not Riley Porters. I am Stella Voltkinz. That is my true name,” she tells us.

“So...So it's true? You’re the SHSL Spy? And you killed Doc?!” Luna demands.

Riley...no, Stella nods softly. “Yes, it is true. Doc was easy to convince. But I knew letting him live was dangerous. So I took care of him after the deed was done. He was a fool to trust me, yes?” she says to us.

“B-But why did you do it!?” Porker asks frantically.

She sighs softly. “I was raised in Russia to be a spy from birth. That was my only purpose in life. Then, when they sent me to the school, I saw a golden opportunity. They needed me to go in under a fake name and talent to prove I was the SHSL Spy. I took it one step farther...and changed everything about me in order to escape my past. I wanted to start anew. Have a fresh life. I saw my chance and the bear ruined it! He planted that evidence and since it had been seen, I knew what had to be done!” she says.

“Doc was meant to be seen as the killer. A fool who slipped on the ice. After all, he saw the file. I couldn’t let him live. I didn't imagine you would ever manage to fish him out. That arm made him quite heavy,” she mutters. She sighs softly. No one had any idea how to process this. But she wouldn't give us the opportunity. “Well...it is time to vote. I'm done here,” she says.

Monokuma sits up at the mention of voting. “Okay everyone, you know what to do! Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?” he says. Everyone votes for Riley. Monokuma cheers happily. “That's it! Riley Porters, or should I say, Stella Voltkinz, the SHSL Spy, is the killer!” he says.

I look at Stella. She takes the drum off and sets it down on the ground. “I have no more use for such a thing...” she says. But it was clear she wanted to keep it. She looks to all of us with a glare of determination.

“I know who the mastermind is!” she declares loudly. “I know the secrets of this city!”

Monokuma pulls out his hammer. “Let’s give it everything we've got! It's PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIME!” he yells out happily. He slams the hammer down on the button.

“The one who did this is--” Stella gets cut off as the chain clamps down around her neck. It drags her off before she could utter the name. We all begrudgingly turn to the screen.

**Stella Voltkinz has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Stella was strapped down to a metal table. Even with all the struggling she did, she couldn't get out of the metal clamps holding her down. Large machines that beeped and buzzed and hummed surrounded the room. A massive laser was pointed at the bottom of the table.

Monokuma sat in a chair in front of her. He had a small mustache and was petting a fluffy cat. It looked like a stuffed toy. On the arm of the chair was a button. There’s evil laughter as he slams his paw down on it.

 **Voltkinz. Stella Voltkinz.**  

The massive laser began to glow and hum. It was warming up. Stella’s struggling gets more intense. She was trying to slip her arms out of the clamps. It may break one off and open the others. But they all held on right.

A laser shoots out of the machine, striking the bottom of the metal table. Smoke rises as it burns right through the metal and hits the floor under it. Monokuma starts to gently push in a joystick and the laser begins to move upward toward Stella.

She struggles wildly in her restrictions. Panic and fear were written all over her face. There was a scream of fear, something that seemed uncharacteristic of her. But she looked truly terrified.

The laser keeps going up and it finally reaches her. It burns through her flesh like it was nothing. She screams in pain as it continues going up, traveling through her abdomen. It was a slow and steady movement. Monokuma has a glass of wine in one pass now and was sipping it gently.

Stella’s struggles weaken. Her legs don't even move anymore. There was no blood because the laser cauterized everything. Her screaming was silenced after the laser reaches her chest. It was hard to tell if she was still alive or not by this point.

The laser goes the rest of the way through, shutting off after it reached the top of the table. The table begins to drift apart. The two halves crash to the floor, both of Stella’s halves still strapped to them.

I watch in horror as yet another of our friends is gruesomely executed in front of us. I had no words for this. We had almost learned what we needed. We were so close. I sigh shakily and head off.

Charles and Luna began to leave but ‘Scot pulls them into a hug first. “You guys look like you need this,” ‘Scot says.

Charles was silent. He hugs back gently before letting go. Luna lingered a little longer, fighting back tears, before finally heading into the elevator with ‘Scot.

We ride back up in total silence. Everyone disappears into our respective rooms for the night. I was shocked to find myself passing out as soon as I hit the bed.

**Chapter 3: Identities Destroyed and Life is the Cost - Completed!**

Carlos, Michael, ~~Pinocchio~~ , ~~Riley~~ , ‘Scot, ~~Doc~~ , ~~Pete~~ , Luna, Charles, ~~Freddy~~ , ~~York~~ , Marionette, Elly, Shelley, ~~Van Helsing~~ , Porker


	22. Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Daily Life Part I

**Daily City Life - Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed?**

****

****

I wake up in the morning, feeling pretty tired despite sleeping. Last night still stuck with me vividly. I sigh and rub my eyes a little. I couldn't think about that now. It was too late. I get out of bed and get ready for the day. I head off to the diner to eat breakfast.

The others were down here eating breakfast as well. No one talked much to each other. Except for Marionette and Slappy, who were having a private conversation in the back. I sit with Shelley today and eat my breakfast. She had something sitting on the table in front of her. It was a tiny robot!

I look at the robot curiously. It looks back at me and gives a couple high pitched beeps. It couldn't be more than half a foot tall. It was made of a shiny silver metal. A small antenna poked out of its head. It's two eyes looked like camera lens. It had small arms with clamps that open and close every so often and seemed to have wheels for feet.

Shelley gives a hint of a smile. “This was the first robot I ever made,” she says. “Its name is RC. He’s made out of some old cameras, a laptop, a TV, and some AI I managed to program. I decided it was time he got a bit of fresh air.”

I hesitantly pat RC’s head. It gives off some happy sounding beeps and spins around in place. I smile a little bit and go back to eating my breakfast. I glance over at Marionette. It seems her conversation with Slappy was heating up. What was it they were arguing about?

“I don't trust her,” Luna murmurs, stuffing some eggs into her mouth. “She’s not stable. She's going to snap eventually, I'm telling you.”

Michael rolls his eyes. Luna scowls. “You want to say something, beanstalk?!” she snaps at him.

He simply stands up and walks over to Marionette. She looks at him and smiles brightly. The two chat away from us. It seems like a pleasant conversation. “See? Can't trust her,” Luna says.

I finish my breakfast in time for Monokuma to summon everyone to the barrier next to the hospital. We all walk over there to see what it was he wanted, but it wouldn’t be difficult to guess.

Monokuma wasn’t standing on top of the wall this time. We didn’t see him anywhere at first. But then he popped up from behind holding a rocket launcher. Everyone screams and fucks out of the way as he fires, the rocket flying out and colliding with the wall. It crumbles away like they usually do. Monokuma was gone when the dust cleared.

We all slowly stand up again. Everything seemed to be calm again and no one was seriously injured from the looks of it.

“You may all enter the Civilian District!” Monokuma announces over the announcements. That was an odd name.

We all head down the new street. Several new buildings were along this street, as expected. I was starting to question how this town was set up.

The first thing I entered was an old factory. It seemed most of the machinery was cleared away. Everything that was left was covered in a thick layer of dust. Rubble and heavy metal kept me out of any room that sounded even remotely important. There was an area that seemed to have once served a purpose but was now mostly empty. The only thing in here were chains with hooks hanging from the ceiling. Elly was swinging around on them happily. I don't leave until she gets down. I'd feel guilty if I left and she got hurt. Once she was off of them, I leave the building.

The next building I entered was an old movie theater which was next to the newest barrier. The concession stand was fully loaded with candy, popcorn, soda, and other food. Porker was here eating away happily. I smile a bit and go look around. A couple of the viewing rooms were in decent shape and had some projectors. For whatever reason, the only movies we could watch were Van Helsing's. I frown a little bit and leave the building.

The last place was a park on the other end of the new barrier. There was an old, rusty playground that didn't look stable at all. There was a small lake too. It smelled like death and I didn't want to go anywhere near it. The benches were nice at least and the park had plenty of plantation to make it peaceful. I kind of liked it. Now that I was done looking, I leave to spend time with someone. Hanging out with the others seemed like a nice distraction for this entire situation.

I find Marionette in the diner, talking to Slappy still. Michael had left by now. I walk over to them. “Hello, Marionette,” I say.

She looks up at me and smiles. “Hello, Carlos! It is good to see you,” she says.

Slappy grumbles. “I don’t wanna see him!” he snaps. I frown a little. Was that what Marionette thought?

She sighs softly. “Carlos, why don't you join us? It would be lovely~!” she says cheerily. I nod a bit and sit down with her. I spend some time hanging out with Marionette. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So uh...do you always talk with Slappy?” I ask her.

She smiles and nods. “Yes, indeed I do! Slappy and I are best friends, so it would only be natural that we talk with one another at times,” she says.

I look at the puppet. He glares back. Or was I just imagining that? It seemed to have so much life when Marionette was using it. “What do you want, Bitch Boy?!” the puppet snaps finally.

I frown. “Why do you call me that?” I demand angrily. He seems to grin. I knew I was imagining that part.

“Honestly, it was because I thought you were just another floormat! But now it’s because you became the biggest bitch of us all for helping the mastermind!” he says.

I scowl. “I’m not going to take shit from a puppet with a hand up his ass!” I yell angrily.

He sneers. “Oh, you’re really going to judge someone based on that? The mastermind’s hand was deeper up yours!” Slappy snaps.

I frown and try to think of a response. I end up with nothing and just leave. Did I really just lose an argument with a puppet..? I sigh softly. Not what I needed.

I head to the park to relax. I was walking through the small patch of forest when something wraps around my ankle and hoists me up into the air. I yell as I’m flipped upside down and dangling in the air. “H-Hey, what the hell?!” I yell out. I hear a familiar, high pitched laughter.

Luna walks out from nearby. “Hey there Carlos! Just hangin’ around I see!” She grins wide and bursts into laughter again.

I frown and wiggle around. “Luna, come on, let me go!” I snap.

She pouts. “You’re so mean! Maybe I won’t,” she says. I sigh and decide to do it myself. I spend time untying myself while Luna cracks jokes. The two of us grew a little closer today.

The knot around my ankle finally loosens. I apparently didn't think about this well enough and hit the ground with a hard thud on my back. I groan in pain.

Luna quickly runs over and helps me to my feet. “Shit man, I didn't think you’d actually get the knot untied!” she says quickly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, honest!”

I sigh softly and look at her. She did seem sincere. “It’s alright, I’m not in that much pain...” I say softly.

She sighs in relief. “Good. As fun as pulling pranks are, I freak if I seriously hurt people. A scratch or a bruise is okay though,” she says.

She made a weird distinction between the two. But I guess it's better than none. I decide to leave before she pulls any more pranks though. I try to hide my limp from her.

I head back to the hotel. ‘Scot was heading into his room with a bag of chips and a soda. He looks at me and waves. “Hey, you wanna hang out with me in my room?” he asks.

I’ll pretend that doesn't have any weird undertones and nod. I follow him into his room. It seemed...brighter than the rest of them. Probably because he had an extra lamp. He takes off his suit after I shut the door. He wore a plain t-shirt and jeans under his suit. The rest of his body was scarred like he said. I spend time relaxing with ‘Scot. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“So uh...how did you end up like that, ‘Scot?” I ask him.

He looks at me and frowns a little bit. “Oh uh...well...my house was...” he hesitates, “there was a house fire. And...I got stuck in my room. Doctors said I was lucky to survive,” he smiles thinly.

I guess this was a touchy subject. I could understand that given what he did to hide it. “Why did it start?” I ask him.

He frowns a little and looks down. I saw his eyes tear up a bit. “U...Um...” he murmurs without actually saying anything.

“I-I didn’t mean to push it too far!” I say quickly. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer.”

“...I’m going to bed. Goodnight,” he says abruptly, not even answering me.

I frown a little but leave his room. I head into my own and lay down in bed. I felt tired after today, even though today had been relatively peaceful. I sigh deeply and my eyes slowly drift shut until I pass out.


	23. Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Daily Life Part II

I wake up in the morning feeling well rested. I climb out of bed and go get ready for the day like usual. Once I’m done with my daily routine, I head down to the diner in order to eat breakfast.

The others were eating today and chatting amongst one another. I take some of Porker’s food and sit down with them to talk and eat as well.

“I think we should go watch a movie,” ‘Scot says. “Together, as friends. Just to relax and try to calm down from...everything that has been going on.”

I smile a little bit. “That sounds like a really good idea, ‘Scot!” I say. He seems pleased with that. I look at the others. 

“Oh, I do not watch movies often. But it sounds absolutely enjoyable!” Marionette says cheerily.

“I guess I can take a break today and try to relax,” Shelley says, almost hesitantly

“Do I get to come with or will I be subjected to segregation again?” Michael asks us.

Luna rolls her eyes. “Yeah, you can watch the dumb movie,” she grumbles. Everyone seems to agree with the idea. I smile wide and get up. We all head to the theater.

I head up to the projector room and pick out a movie for us to watch. I go with Friday the 13th. I get the movie set up and head to the viewing room. Porker and Luna were bringing in all the food while the others got comfortable. Everyone gets something to eat, but Porker got most of it, naturally. I sit down with them and the movie begins to play on the screen.

We all watch it together. Marionette seemed completely involved in the movie, so not even Slappy was speaking. Luna cracks a joke every so often and makes sure to say one with every death. Shelley never stops complaining about the practicality of the movie. ‘Scot stuffs a candy bar into both of their mouths. “Less talking, more watching,” he tells them. Michael and Charles both crack a smile when that happens. I smile a little too. This was really nice. But then he had to ruin the wonderful moment.

The screen goes blank. Monokuma appears on it. “Hey there, kiddies!” he says. Elly boos and throws popcorn at the screen.

“Put the movie back on!” Slappy snaps angrily.

Monokuma growls. “Later! First, we have a motive to get to!” he cheers.

There’s the sound of hissing and the room fills with gas. Everyone starts to cough and gagging and covers their noses and mouths. But it was too late. Whatever it was he released got into all of us. There was nothing we could do.

After he has stopped, I felt a very strong urge to start helping the others. It was a painful urge. It made my head pound and my stomach twisted in knots. I groan and wrap my arm around my stomach. The others seemed to react similarly. Monokuma starts cackling.

“Wh-What did you do to us?!” Marionette demands.

The bear’s cackling stops. “Oh, not much. I just made you all addicted to the use of your talents!” he says.

Elly stands up from her seat. She begins leaping from seat to seat. She falls every so often but that didn't stop her from getting up and continuing. Slappy begins to talk rapidly, saying insulting nonsense. Porker, Shelley, and Michael all run out of the room. Charles begins mixing chemicals that he seemed to have on him. Luna shocks me with her joy buzzer and laughs before hurrying out. ‘Scot seemed normal at least.

The others hurry out but I stay with ‘Scot. “H-Hey, you don't seem affected,” I say.

He looks over at me. “That’s cause I’m not!” he says in an energetic, cartoony voice. “Everything is peachy!”

I frown a bit. That was a lie. I wince as I feel another stabbing pain in my abdomen. “Need h-help with something?” I ask him.

He nods quickly. “Yeah, yeah, yeah! We’re gonna pass out pain meds to the others like candy!” he cheers. I smile softly and we head to the hospital. I help ‘Scot give everyone pain medication.

The others were happy to take the pain medication. It didn't help all that much but it was better than nothing. I decide to spend time with someone and help them. ‘Scot was still with me and he seemed like he needed someone to talk with. I don't leave his side. I spend time talking with ‘Scot. The two of us grew a little closer today.

‘Scot seemed a bit tired after we got everyone some pain medication and all the talking. “Being peppy and energetic is super, duper hard when you just want to lay down and cry!” he says cheerily.

I gently pats his shoulder. “Hey ‘Scot, why do you wear this thing all the time?” I ask him.

He looks at me then sighs. Somehow, even his sigh had energy behind it. “Kids would make fun of my skin and stuff, so I decided to sign up for school mascot! But the suit was smelly and old. I took it home and had Mom and Dad get it all fitted out for permit use. I even paid the school to let me keep it! People loved me in the suit, so in the suit I stayed!” he says happily.

Although I could tell it wasn't supposed to be happy. “I don't think the others will judge you for not wearing it. You can take it off,” I say.

‘Scot looks away. “Thanks for the offer!” he cheers. He hesitates for a second before pulling me into a hug.

“Huh? ‘Scot, is the pain getting that bad?” I ask him, a little surprised.

“H-Huh..? No! No, I just...um...thank you for being so nice to me and trying to help me out. It...It means a lot to have a friend like you!” he says.

I smile a tiny bit and hug him back. Eventually, he lets go and walks off. I felt like I understood ‘Scot a lot better now. I get another stab of pain in my stomach and leave to help someone.

I find Porker in the diner, cramming food into his mouth at a much more panicked rate than usual. He was making a mess of himself. I walk over. “H-Hey Porker, I can help you clean up and make food!” I offer desperately. 

He nods and gives a muffled reply. I spend time making food and cleaning Porker’s face. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“How can you eat like this?” I ask him as I set more food down in front of him

He stops before shoveling more food into his mouth. “I was raised to eat like this. Like I said...it was why my parents had me.” He pauses to eat some more food. “I was bred to do this. But I still find some enjoyment in eating. Enough to keep doing it. I make sure to exercise too so I don't become a fat blob of a man.” He cracks a smile and eats some more.

I felt bad for him. Raised to be nothing more than an eating machine. “Well it’s good you can find something good out of the negative, Porker.”

He smiles softly and nods. “If you take out the string, the bad stuff won’t hurt you as much. That’s why I still let myself be called Porker. If friends say it, it doesn’t hurt as bad,” he explains.

I smile softly. “That’s a good policy.” I pat his shoulder gently and decide to leave him in peace. I head out of the diner.

I find Michael in the school. He was playing basketball by himself, which I didn't find surprising. The ball rolls over to me and I pick it up, tossing it back to him. He looks at me. “Stay here and help me get the ball,” he says.

I nod quickly, more than happy to help him. I felt disgusting thinking something like that. I spend time helping Michael catch his ball. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“How did you ever get into basketball anyway?” I ask him. 

He shrugs and tosses it into the net. “Parents. They wanted me to pick a sport for college credit. I went with basketball. I got good in it like everything else I do,” he says.

Wait, what did he mean by that? “So your parents forced you to play basketball?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “They forced me to pick a sport. The classes and clubs I joined were what they picked though. Told me they knew what was best. But now I'm putting more focus into basketball. It’s fun, surprisingly,” he says.

So Michael had those kinds of parents then. The ones that made you do everything without considering what you wanted. But it sounds like he's starting to resist that at least. “You can go now, I don't need you anymore,” he says. I nod a little and leave.

I head to my room in the hotel and get into bed. This was going to be awful. The pain in my stomach and head were starting to surface. I take some of the pain medication by it wasn’t enough. I leave my room.

I enter the hospital and rummage around for something else. I hear the door open and close behind me as someone else walked in. I look back to see ‘Scot. “Oh, so you need something?!” I asked, almost desperately.

‘Scot nods. “I need some sleep medication! I want to pass that out too!” Seems He has the same idea as me.

I take a few pills for myself and pass the rest to him. He takes them from me and turns to leave. “Hey, ‘Scot,” I say. “...I want to know what happened to you. I make you wear the suit.”

‘Scot stops in the doorway. “...do we really have to talk about this now?” He asks darkly. “Can’t you just let the past die..?”

I frown softly. “‘Scot, is it really good to bottle stuff like this up? To hide it all away like you do?”

There was another moment of silence. “...I joined a gang,” he finally says, “because our family was poor. We didn’t have food or money. We could barely pay the bills. My parents both worked every day all day and we were still barely scraping by. I did it to help them but...” he trails off.

“...but what?” I ask after a moment.

“I backed out,” he says. “I was a sort of...medic, I guess. But I was feeling too guilty and they wanted me to do more. I couldn’t take it and backed out. And they tried to burn my house down because of it.”

I frown softly and hug him from behind. “I’m sorry...I had no idea,” I say. “That must have been awful...”

“They...My parents. They hurt themselves getting me out of the house. They aren’t as bad as me, but I feel so guilty every time I see it,” ‘Scot goes on.

“They must still love you, right? They want what’s best for you. They care about you. Don’t they, ‘Scot?” I say to him.

He nods weakly. “Yeah...Y-Yeah, they do,” he says.

I smile a bit. I take some of my sleeping pills and head back to my room. I passed out pretty soon after laying down.


	24. Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Daily Life Part III

I wake up feeling those stabbing pains still. I groan and get up slowly. My head throbbed painfully. I quickly get ready for the day and leave, rushing to the diner. I needed to be there first.

Just as I wished, I was the first to arrive. I quickly begin to set the tables and make food for everyone. The pain in my stomach starts to subside and throbbing in my head dies down as I help out everyone. The others walk in eventually. Shelley was the only one not to show up. They all stand in the doorway, watching me rush around and get everything ready. Even after they all sat down and began eating, I helped them with anything else they needed me to.

The others don't talk to me much while I rush around. Many of them ate quickly so they could get on with their day of trying to end the pains. Luna continued to glare at Marionette and Michael from across the table while she ate. I could feel her plotting a prank from here.

Michael kept asking me to do things. Apparently, my breakfast wasn’t good enough for him. After remaking it about four times, I just shoved the plate of food in his face and stormed off. I didn’t listen to him again.

‘Scot kept trying to start a conversation with me but I’d have to go help someone before it went anywhere. I think I upset him, but it’s hard to tell when he keeps talking in his mascot voice.

Once they all left, Porker was the only one still around. I needed someone to assist for now so I walk over to him. “Need me to help you with anything?” I ask him quickly.

He nods and gets up. “Help me bring food to the gym. I need to work out for a while...” he grumbles. I nod quickly and start packing food with Porker. The two of us grew a little closer today.

We get all of the food packed up and taken to the gym. He lifts weights with one arm while he eats with the other. I assist him by counting how many reps he does.

“You’re a pretty strong guy,” I comment while I add some more weight.

He shrugs, eating a sub sandwich. “Not that amazing. I just exercise a lot. You don't really need to watch what you eat as long as you can lose the weight. High metabolism and workout routines help keep me in shape while I just eat anything I want,” he says before shoveling more food into his mouth.

I nod a little bit. I wish I was that lucky. I’m not exactly strong or anything. Working out just exhausts me! And maybe I keep making excuses.

I soon leave to help someone else out. Only because Porker was starting to smell way to sweaty to sit next to.

I head outside only to hear loud arguing. I head over to the source to find Marionette and Luna yelling at each other. I hurry over to try and keep them apart, but Marionette punches Luna hard in the nose before I could get there.

Luna grunts and falls over, putting her hands over her nose. Marionette storms off angrily to her room, Slappy cackling wildly in her arms. I help Luna to her feet. Her nose was gushing blood.

“Fuck, what did you do?!” I ask her.

She looks away. “I was trying to put makeup on Slappy...Marionette freaked when I touched her stupid puppet...” she grumbles. “But I’m fine! I’ll go handle this...”

At first I thought she meant she was going to go attack Marionette. But she went toward the hospital instead.

Why did those two always have to be at each other’s throats? I sigh deeply and walk off. The fighting was at last over.

I walk to the hospital. Unsurprisingly, Luna was there going through some medical supplies in one of the operating rooms.

She grumbles as she dumps out an entire drawer to rummage through it. “Luna, what are you looking for?” I ask her.

She looks up at me. “Something to stop the bleeding, duh!”

I grab a box of tissues. “Will these do?”

She stares at them for a minute before crossing her arms. “Yeah...” she grumbles. Did she not even see these? I spend time helping Luna clean up. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Luna’s nose won't stop bleeding and I'm pretty sure it wasn’t broken. For now, I had her keep tissues against it until the blood stopped. “You always have to take them too far, don't you?” I ask her, a little disappointed.

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, tell me something I don't know. Maybe if you guys just got a sense of humor shit like this wouldn't happen!” she snaps.

I frown. “Maybe you should try to consider other people's feelings before you try to pull pranks like this,” I tell her.

She stands up. “Don't tell me how to use my talent! I'll do what I want to!” She shoves me and storms out of the hospital.

I wonder if she was mad because she thought I was right. Either way, she was gone now and I couldn’t ask. She probably wouldn’t answer even if I did.

I sigh softly. I don't think I’ll ever understand her. I head out of the hospital.

I end up finding Marionette in the theater. She was watching a movie and conversing with Slappy. They were talking about Luna. “I told you not to trust Humorless around me!” Slappy snaps at her angrily.

She sighs softly. “Yes, I am aware...” she says in defeat. “I am sorry for not listening to your advice Slappy. I will not fail you again, my friend! I swear!” she announces to him.

He nods, satisfied.

I walk over and gently tap her shoulder. Marionette jumps and looks at me. She relaxes a little. “Oh, Carlos, how lovely to see you! Apologies, you startled me.” She smiles a little bit.

I smile too. “Yeah, sorry about that. You uh...talking to the puppet again?” I ask her.

Slappy seems to glare at me. I was growing more and more certain Slappy voiced Marionette’s own thoughts. She nods a little bit. “Yes. Would you like to join us?” she asks.

I nod and sit next to her. I spend time talking with Marionette and her puppet. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“You seem to be really close. Protective, too,” I say.

They both nod. “Slappy is my best friend and there is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for him!” she announces. She seemed proud of herself for such a feat. Honestly, I sure was.

“Only I get to pick on Marionette here,” Slappy says. “It's off limits to everyone else.”

I look down at the puppet and scowl a little. “Why do you call her Marionette?” I ask. I knew he nicknamed everyone. I doubted she was an exception.

He looks up to me. There seemed to be a sinister glint in his eyes. “Because no matter what anybody says, Marionette is my puppet. It's only fair I give her a suiting name,” he says darkly.

I look at him, visibly shocked. Then I look at Marionette. She had a very forced smile.

“Slappy is...such a jokester, no? Always saying the most ridiculous of things,” she says softly.

I nod slowly and get up. “It was nice to talk to you, Marionette. I'm going to go to bed now, goodnight.” I turn and leave. I was starting to worry a lot for Marionette’s mental wellbeing.

I head to my room to go to sleep. I felt exhausted still. I had to take some pain and sleep medication again before laying down.

This motive was awful. I wish I could be strong like the others and just power through it. Everyone is giving it their all and I’m just sitting here complaining. I soon passed out from the pills.


	25. Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Killing Life Investigation

I find it hard to sleep that night. I kept tossing and turning. The pain was getting unbearable. Even with the painkillers, they didn’t last forever.

I woke up early again, groaning in pain. I get out of bed and out my room. I had the intentions of going to the diner again and cooking a big breakfast. Then maybe I could clean up their rooms.

As soon as I walked out of my room, the pain washed away. My stomach settled and my head felt normal again. I blink, a bit taken back by the sudden shift in my thoughts and feelings. “What..?” I murmur.

It took me a moment to readjust to it. I rub my eyes a little. Nope, not a dream. Why did that happen?

Some of the others were beginning to leave their rooms too. That was about when I heard the scream from Marionette’s room and she kicked her door open. I was the closest to the door.

Marionette grabs hold of me as she left her room. There was fury and hate in her eyes. And right now, it was targeted at me.

“Where is he?!” she yells angrily.

I look up at her, shocked. “Where...Where is who..?” I ask her softly.

That seemed to be the wrong answer. “Slappy! Wear is Slappy?! Which in of you took him from my room?!” Now she looks up at all of us. No one answers her. She shoves me to the ground and runs off after getting nothing from us.

I stand up and brush myself off before following her. She runs out of the hotel and down the street. I was about to question why she was doing that when I saw it. Smoke rising in the air. I follow after her quickly. Some of the others follow us.

The smoke was coming from the theater. She runs over and throws the doors open. She screams loudly. I come up from behind her and look into the building.

The fire was coming from the popcorn machine. Through the flames, I could see the burning body of Slappy stuffed into it.

Marionette quickly grabs a fire extinguisher from the wall and puts out the flames. But there was no saving the puppet.

Michael and Charles run in next. Once they enter, the body announcement plays. But...there was nobody. All there was in here was the puppet. Unless...but there was no way. At least, that's what I thought until he showed up on the counter.

Monokuma stood proudly. “Hey, what’s going on here?” Charles asks. “Where's the body?”

Monokuma giggles softly and points at Slappy. “You’re all looking at it!”

I shake my head in disbelief. “But he’s just a puppet!” I say quickly.

Monokuma’s grin seems to widen. “As long as someone truly considers him to be a real person, then I will consider him a real person. Marionette is the only one who does and that’s good enough for me! So start investigations, and then trial!” he explains before disappearing behind the counter.

I look at Marionette. She was on her knees, sobbing. She really did consider him a real person. So...that meant that Slappy Dubois was dead...I think...

**Killing City Life: Chapter 4 - Do Wooden Hearts Bleed?**

The others were, understandably, angry when they hear the news. “You mean someone is going to die for some stupid hunk of wood?!” Luna demands angrily.

Marionette stands. She looks angry. “He wasn't just a hunk of wood! He was my best friend!” she yells. Luna frowns a little.

Charles sighs softly. “Let's just start investigating. We can't exactly back out of this now. The bear will get upset,” he says. We all nod and begin to investigate, some more begrudgingly than others.

I walk over to the popcorn machine. Slappy was burned to a charred black. His clothes and hair was nothing more than ash now. His glass eyes peered out creepily. I sigh deeply.

The popcorn machine smelled strongly of burned wood and...butter? The scent was very fresh. I lean in a bit and sniff Slappy. He smelled like butter. Someone must have coated him in it before setting him on fire. I find a melted lighter. It was a cheap, colorful, plastic lighter sitting in Slappy’s lap. This probably came from the gas station. I remember some being there.

I notice a banner hanging up on the back wall with sloppily written letters. It read: “How’s this for a burn?!” It seems this was supposed to be some kind of show. It seems to have been written in something that looks like blood.

I peek into the trash can near the concessions counter. There was some bloody, wadded up tissue paper. They seemed pretty fresh. I could tell they were still wet. Whoever threw them in there did it very recently. No one here seems to be bleeding though. I look at Marionette and walk over.

She was staring at Slappy’s body at the moment. I frown a bit when I consider it a body. But as far as I was concerned, it was at the moment. “How are you feeling Marionette?” I ask her. She doesn't say anything for a moment.

“Please...do not call me Marionette,” she says softly after some silence.

I nod a little bit. “What do you want to be called?” I ask her.

She looks at me. “By my real name, of course. Marie Antoinette,” she tells me.

I smile softly. “Yeah, I can do that for you. It’s a much nicer name,” I assure. She smiles softly and looks back at the body.

“I got Slappy as a little girl,” she says softly. “He came to life the moment I touched him. He was never meant to be used, but for once in my life, I went against my parents' demands. I do not regret it for a second. He promised me that nothing would ever separate us. We would be the best of friends forever. I should have known he would be destroyed eventually...nothing nice ever lasts for me. It is simply not allowed...” She turns to leave, wiping her eyes.

“Wait, Marie Antoinette,” I say.

She stops and looks back at me. “Hm? Yes, what is it..?”

I take off my jacket and hand it to her. “This is my mom’s jacket. It was my grandfather’s before she got it. It...helps calm me down and feel nice. I figured you’d like to use it for a bit.”

She stared at the jacket for a moment before gingerly taking it from my hands and putting it on. “Thank you, Carlos,” she says. And with that, she left.

I watch her go and frown a bit. I couldn’t be mad at her for this. It’s not her fault she thinks Slappy is real. And she feels bad enough without me or anyone else dumping the blame on her. I head out of the theater.

I enter the dining hall to look around. The kitchen was a mess. It looked like someone made something, but judging by the ingredients sitting out, it’s definitely not for food. But I couldn’t tell what it was at all.

After searching around in there, I went to the hotel. I went to Marie Antoinette’s room and knock. She opens it a little. When she saw me, she opened it all the way.

“Did you need something, Carlos? A testimony, maybe?” she asks. “Because I have no helpful information to give you.”

I shake my head. “Nothing like that. I just want to look around your room a little,” I say.

She steps out of my way and lets me in.

The room was a mess. It looked like she tore the whole thing up trying to find Slappy. It seems Marie Antoinette threw Slappy’s case onto the floor when she found him missing. I lift it up. There was something shiny sitting under it and I pick it up. It was hard to tell what it was but it was some kind of machine. It looked like she stepped on it and broke it. This wasn't Marie Antoinette's though, that much was obvious. I slide it into my pocket for now and head out.

I go ask everybody some questions after leaving the room. I get the same thing from everyone. They hated Slappy and were sleeping in their beds last night. I sigh softly after asking Michael, who didn't seem to hate Slappy. That was unproductive. The trial announcement plays and we all head to the elevator.

We get in and it begins moving down. No matter what happened, someone was going to die for that stupid puppet. It wasn't fair. I knew Marie Antoinette loved him, but no one deserved to die for him. But there was no turning back. We had to do this now or face the consequences. The elevator slows to a stop and the doors open. It was time for the fourth class trial to begin!


	26. Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone takes their place at their stands. Stella’s picture now joined the others. For some reason, a small picture of Slappy was standing in Marie Antoinette’s podium. She did not look at all happy about it.

“With everyone here, the trial has officially begun!” Monokuma cheers. That was weird. He’s never announced a trial before.

“This is ridiculous,” Shelley says. “It's one thing when it's a real human, but this is just a puppet and a figment of Marionette’s imagination. I refuse to participate.”

She looks to Monokuma as she says the last part.

The bear tilts his head. “Refusal to the trial? Alright! Go ahead, leave! But leaving the trial grounds or refusing to participate in the trial will be meant with swift and deadly punishment!” the bear cheers. Shelley sighs softly and turns back to us.

Marionette seems angry. “Why do you all insist on talking about Slappy in such a way?! Can you not just show a little respect for once?! He is dead! I do not care how you all felt about him before, but show respect!” she demands angrily.

Luna scowls. “You’re the reason we’re here in the first place!” she snaps. “Treating some stupid hunk of wood like it’s a human being! Now we have to have this pointless trial! I don't even want to do this because I don't care! It's a fucking puppet your crazy bitch, let it go!”

I sigh. This was getting us nowhere. “We need to start the trial. This is being taken seriously by the bear, so it has to be taken seriously by us,” I say. “Our lives are in as much danger as always with these things.”

“Right, so, can we talk about the...body..?” Charles says. He clearly didn't like calling Slappy a body. “It's pretty clear what happened. He was set on fire. But it seems odd since I noticed he had been covered in butter. I could smell it on him,” he says.

Porker nods in agreement. “I got a whiff of it the moment I walked inside!” he booms, smiling proudly. “Someone coated him in the stuff!”

“Liquid butter would be flammable because of all the oil and grease in it. It was probably used like lighter fluid,” I say.

Charles nods in agreement. “You’re right. It was probably all over the popcorn machine since it would be used on it, so putting him in a place where he would burn easily make sense.”

“They must have wanted him to burn quickly, but stay on fire for a while,” I say thoughtfully.

Elly crosses her arms and thinks. “Musta been someone here who had a grudge on the puppet! But uh...all of us kinda of hated him...hey, none of ya are pyrotechnics right? With the motive going on, someone was probably using their talent!” she pipes up.

“Hey, great idea, Elly!” ‘Scot says. “I bet you’re right, too! But uh...the only talent I can think of that would work for this is Charles,” he says a bit softer.

Charles scowls. “While it is true I don't like the puppet and my knowledge of chemicals would aid me greatly, I have no reason to destroy Marionette’s possessions or make a pointless show of it,” he tells us.

“Could you all please refer to me as Marie Antoinette?” she asks us. “I grow tired of such an insulting name.” The others silently nod. Except for Michael. Then I get a small thought.

“Michael, this seems like something you would do. Destroy Slappy, make sure Marie Antoinette knew, make a little show out of it. It wouldn't surprise me,” I say to him.

He frowns and crosses his arms. “While I didn't like her puppet, I actually respect Marie Antionette more than any of you. I wouldn't ruin her puppet because I like her enough not to,” he says sternly.

We all look to Marie Antoinette to see if she would confirm this. And she nods. “Yes, that is the truth. Michael and I have been spending time together, as I am sure you all noticed. I find his presence enjoyable and he enjoys mine,” she says.

We all look back to Michael, a bit surprised. He frowns. “What? Did you guys think I was just some uncaring sociopath? You all just annoy me,” he says angrily. I'd have to take their word for it.

“Well after what you do to Freddy...” Lina begins.

Michael didn’t reply to that. In fact, he looked away.

“What about that mess in the dining hall?” Porker says. “There as a complete mess in there.”

“Charles, did you see the kitchen by any chance?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t. Sorry.”

I sigh deeply and try to think. What could have possibly been made in the kitchen?

_What was made in the kitchen?_

It’s hard to say.

_Is it edible?_

Definitely not.

_Is there anything recently made that was liquid?_

There...was...

_What was it?_

The stuff used in the message!

My eyes light up. “I have an answer!” I yell out. “The message on the wall was written in something. It was made in the kitchen!”

“Ah yes... _how’s this for a burn!?_ ” Marionette says glumly.

“So someone made paint in the kitchen?” Luna asks.

“I believe it was fake blood...” Charles murmurs.

“Well we don't really have any more suspects,” Luna says. “Jokes on them, cause I'd love to congratulate whoever did that to the dummy!” she says. I frown a little bit and look at her. Joke...

I frown a little bit. Could this really be the answer? I didn’t want to think about it but...it was becoming too clear. Was the killer really..?


	27. Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Killing Life Trial Part II

“Luna...were you in the theater at all before the murder?” I ask her.

She looks at me, confused. She slowly shakes her head. “No, I wasn't. Why?” she asks.

That wasn't what I wanted to hear. “Because I found bloody tissues in the trash. Your nose had been bleeding pretty badly yesterday. I couldn't get it stop and you took a box of tissues. I don't know anyone else who would have had those,” I say.

Luna scowls. “H-Hey, are you trying to say I did this shit?! That's not fair! Those tissues could have been used for the banner!”

“Luna, I don’t think that’s it,” I say.

“Yes it is!” she yells. “Yes, it fucking is!”

I couldn’t let her continue on like this. Her theory just didn’t make sense. I was going to have to strike her down.

”Clearly those tissues aren’t mine!”

”Can’t you see that?!”

”They were used for something else!”

“No, Luna, that can’t be it,” I say. “There’s another answer...”

”Oh, like what?!”

”They had to be used on the fake blood!”

”That’s why they were still wet!”

There it was! An opening to strike from! “Let’s cut through those words!” I yell.

“Wh-What are you doing?!” Luna demands. “Stop treating this like a real trial!”

“Luna, those tissues were still wet. If the fake blood was used on them, they would be dry!” I demand. “They were used for something else.”

“And what would that be?” Michael asks.

I look at Marie Antoinette. She was completely silent. “Luna and Marie Antoinette got in a fight. And Luna got hit in the nose. She...was bleeding a lot...”

Luna starts to look a bit more panicked. “Then...Then someone must be trying to frame me!” she says loudly, her already high-pitched voice going up an octave.

I shake my head. “That’s ridiculous, Luna. No one would have had the time to frame you,” I say. “We didn't know it'd count as a murder.”

Luna only seemed to get angrier. She pulls on her pigtails. “I’m being framed I tell you!” she yells. “It wasn't me! This is an insult! An injustice! I won't stand for this profiling!”

I didn't want to do it, but I had to prove she was the culprit.

“Luna I found something--“

_“Joke’s on you, asshole!”_

“--that belongs to you--”

_“I’m being framed!”_

“--in Marie Antoinette's room--”

_“Shut your piehole!”_

“--and it’s your joy buzzer!” I say through her words.

”You can’t prove that! You don’t even have it! This is stupid! This whole thing's stupid!” She screams.

”That’s where you’re wrong!” I yell out. “I have it right here!” I pull the joy buzzer out of my pocket.

Luna stares at it. “Where...did you get that..?” she asks softly.

I hold it out for everyone to see. “I found this in Marie Antoinette’s room, Luna, like I said. Where you lost it. It’s broken and it took me a while to figure out what it was. But by your reaction, I’d say I was right on the money.”

She was silent, staring at the button.

I sigh softly. “Let’s go over the entire case...and put an end to this...”

“The killer was angry at Marie Antoinette for one reason or another. Or maybe they just didn't like Slappy. So they decided they would get back at her with a prank. During the night, they snuck into her room and took Slappy out of his case. They must have been wearing the joy buzzer at the time and dropped it when they grabbed him. They took him to the theater and put him in the popcorn machine. They made their banner and hung it up because they thought if Marie Antoinette saw it, it'd make her mad. Their nose was still bleeding at the time and they probably used up tissues during the whole thing, throwing them away. They doused Slappy in butter and used a light to set him ablaze. Once he was lit, they tossed it into the machine with him and ran back to their room. When they realized that the motive was over...they decided to act innocent instead of revealing it was all a joke. Because it stopped being a joke. Is that what happened, Luna?” I say softly, looking right at her for any signs of resistance or anger.

Her eyes well up with tears. She chokes back a little sob, putting a hand over her mouth. “It was just supposed to be a stupid prank,” she says weakly. “I was so mad at her and I just wanted a little revenge. None of this was supposed to happen! The lighter was in his hand, I swear! He wasn't supposed to be lit! No one was supposed to get hurt!” she demands, a little louder. “I took it too far...I always take it too far! I’m so sorry!” she yells loudly, tears streaming down her face.

“It must have fallen out from all the butter...” Porker murmurs.

Marionette was silent still. Not a peep out of her.

Monokuma sits up. “Okay, everyone! Time to vote! Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or he dreadfully wrong one?” he says tauntingly.

No one votes. “I do not wish to do this,” Marie Antoinette demands. “She is not at fault here! I was the one who acted irrationally and started all of this! Do not hurt her!”

“Marie Antoinette, we have to vote,” Shelley says. “It’s noble what you’re trying to do but we have no choice here.”

“No, we do!” She demands. “Monokuma informer is that we would not be doing this if Slappy were not considered human, correct? Well, I do not see him as human anymore!”

“Aw, how cute...but too bad!” Monokuma jeers.

“Hey! You can’t change the rules like that!” I demand.

Monokuma slowly shakes his head. “I’m not changing anything! The trial had begun and once a trial begins, a blackened has to be picked! There is no way around it.”

Marie Antoinette looks down, defeated. Everyone hesitantly puts in their votes for Luna.

Monokuma grins. “That’s right! Luna Finn, the SHSL Prankster, is the killer!” he cheers happily.

Luna looks up at all of us, tears still streaming down her face. But now she looked determined “If I’m going to go out...I’ll be sure to go out with the biggest prank ever known to man! Every household will know the name, Luna Finn!”

Monokuma pulls out his hammer. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!”

The chain came for her after he said that and dragged her off without a fight. Without anything else I could do, I turn to the screen as it flickers to life.

**Luna Finn has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

The black screen illuminates and shows Luna in front of a monochrome fun house. One of the Windows was a bright red and it had an eerie glow to it. It looked like the house was staring at her, ready to take her in completely.

Luna states back at the house. Fun sounding carnival music came from inside. Then something rubs past her. It was Monokuma! He disappeared into the front door. Lina scowls and follows. She enters the house. The door slams shut behind her.

**Pranks for Nothing!**

Luna begins walking through a long hall. She looks around cautiously, trying to find Monokuma or a way out of the house.the hallway seemed safe but that would be way too easy.

There’s a soft click and she freezes. The sound of a spring releasing can be heard and she ducks before a pie hit her face. It splats into the wall and the sounds of sizzling can be heard as it burns its way through the wooden wall.

She keeps going, turning down another hall. There's another click and more sounds of springs releasing tension. She takes a dash as many boxing gloves appear and try to punch her through the wall. One hits her in the gut. It knocks the air out of her and she doubles over on her knees. She has to crawl out of the hall.

She reaches a room with a pool and a door at the end. She pulls herself back to her feet and manages to walk past the pool and towards the door. As she opens it, Monokuma holds out a pistol and fires. She closes her eyes tightly, expecting to get shot. But a little flag with _BANG!_ written on it pops out. She slowly opens her eyes and starts to laugh.

Monokuma starts laughing too and drops the pistol. Then he picks up a hose. Luna’s suddenly she's sprayed with a large amount of water, blasting her into a pool. She comes back up out, coughing and looks up to see Monokuma offering her a hand. She swims over to the edge and doesn’t notice he was wearing rubber gloves.

She takes his hand and the high powered joy buzzer on Monokuma's hand begins frying her. She screams loudly in pain as electricity coursed through her and the pool. Her high pitched scream mixes with the screech and crackling of electricity. Lights all over the funhouse begin flickering or busting. Her skin begins smoking and charring. Monokuma lets go of her and she falls back into the pool with a splash. Eventually, all the lights go out, ending the video.

I stared in horror at the blank screen. Luna...Luna didn't deserve that! She didn't do anything to deserve something so horrific and terrible! The silence seemed to go on forever until a soft laughter breaks it. It was coming from Marie Antoinette.

Everyone looks over as the laughter begins to get louder. But...it wasn't her voice. In fact, it sounded a lot like Slappy!

She looks at all of us, grinning widely. “That was absolutely shocking!” she says in Slappy’s voice before laughing some more.

“Marie Antoinette, what happened to you?!” Elly asks her.

She tilts her head. “Marionette is sleeping right now! It’s Slappy time, bitches! You didn't think I would be that easy to kill off, did ya?!” he demands. “I planned this from the start just to get Humorless off my back once and for all! And it fucking worked!”

Honestly I felt too tired for this. I just couldn’t deal with Slappy or Marie Antoinette or whatever she was right now. I just wanted to go to my room. The others seemed to think the same.

Everyone walks back to the elevator quietly. Slappy talked and talked the entire way up. It only made things worse for everyone.

The elevator opens and we all hurry out and to our rooms before Slappy could buy any of us anymore. I stared up at the ceiling in my bed for god knows how long. Sleep eventually came to me in a peaceful unconsciousness.

**Chapter 4: Do Wooden Hearts Bleed? - Completed!**

Carlos, Michael, ~~Pinocchio~~ , ~~Riley~~ , ‘Scot, ~~Doc~~ , ~~Pete~~ , ~~Luna~~ , Charles, ~~Freddy~~ , ~~York~~ , Marie Antoinette, Elly, Shelley, ~~Van Helsing~~ , Porker


	28. Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems and They Will Only Grow - Daily Life Part I

**Daily City Life - Chapter 4: Ignore Your Problems And They Will Only Grow**

I wake up in the morning, still wracked with guilt. I sent Luna to an execution she never deserved. I just couldn’t help her in the end. Could I help any of my friends? Was I even useful to them? Maybe it would be better if I died to save them all.

I stay in bed for awhile with thoughts like that running through my mind. I eventually manage to shake them away for now and get ready for the day, heading to the diner to eat some breakfast.

I head into the diner. The others were here, eating. Shelley was just leaving with a plate of food though. I look at her as she passes. “Hey, where are you going?” I ask her.

She looks up at me. “I have some things I need to work on. I’ll be fine.” She turns again and walks off.

I take some of Porker’s breakfast and sit down, eating the donut I had stolen from his large array of food. Even the SHSL Assistant could get tired of chores, after all, and after the last motive I think I was due for a break. Especially when more important things mattered.

I glance over at Marie Antoinette. Once again, she was seated alone. She didn't have Slappy with her today and she seemed even more lonely without him. She just picked at her food quietly, shuffling it around on her plate. I stand up and walk over to her.

Marie Antoinette looks at me as I sit down next to her. I could see she was bothered by something but she tried to hide it. “Good morning, Carlos. Are you well today?” she asks in a very professional and polite voice. She was holding onto a teacup, sipping from it lightly.

I just nod in response. “Yeah and uh...how about you?” I ask her.

Her hand tightens around the handle of the teacup. Her entire body seems to tense up. She nods curtly before standing. “I believe...now is a good time...to go...” she says without answering my question.

Her voice shifts, getting deeper and scratchier. “Good day...Bitch Boy...” And with that, she briskly walks out of the building.

I sigh deeply as she left. I was getting more worried for her. I finish eating my food in time for the announcement that summons us all to the wall unlocked in the Community District.

Once again, Monokuma was nowhere to be seen. I was expecting something big again and I got that when the sound of a helicopter got close.

Some people seemed excited. They must have thought it was freedom or escape. But the large Monokuma decal on the side and the massive missile attached to the bottom told us otherwise.

Everyone dives away from the wall as the missile fired. It flies over all of our heads and collides with the wall, causing the entire thing to be blown away in an instant.

Everyone slowly gets up again, pieces of gravel and a lot of dust covering us. Some cough and others try to wipe it away. I wasn’t focused on that. The barrier was opened now.

It leads down a straight path of a section of town that appeared to lead into a forest, which had since been burnt to the ground. The street was older and seemed to be made of dirt. A deep ditch sat on either side of the road. One part of the road broke off, leading back towards town but stopping at a barrier again leading to yet another barrier that kept us out of the rest of the town. “The Backroad District has been opened!” Monokuma announces for everyone. I sigh and go look around.

The first building I enter was a large warehouse. The whole building was just a single, massive room with several beams set up to support the roof. The room was filled to the absolute brim with boxes. I open one up to see what was inside. It was filled with...fan fiction. They were all about Monokuma and someone from a killing game. Makoto, Kyoko, Toko, Hajime, Nagito, Charles’ parents...the minute I find one with my dad, I hide the box away. I never wanted to look at that again. I open another box. More fan fiction, this time with Junko. I don't even look at them and leave the building, never planning on entering it again.

The next building I entered was a radio station. There was a small waiting room. It was dusty, but otherwise in one piece. It had a table and chairs and old magazines, all dusty. There was a window that was smudged and dirty, but I was pretty sure it led to the radio. I walk through the wooden door and into the room.

The radio room itself was rather big. It had some recording equipment and, as I expected, a large radio broadcasting system. It looked mostly in one piece but wouldn’t turn on when I tried.

Shelley walks into the room while I was messing with the radio. I look at her as she entered. I think I saw a mild amount of interest in her when she looked at the radio.

“Hey, think can you fix this thing?” I ask, lightly tapping the radio with my knuckle.

“I don’t think I can,” she replies. Then she sets her toolbox down on top of it. “I know it.”

I smile a tiny bit and leave the building so she could work in peace.

The last thing we had gained was a small penitentiary. It looked completely trashed, like the prisoners had rioted. And won. Dried blood was splashed here and there and I saw a lot of destruction. There didn’t seem to be any useful information I could get to. Any filing cabinets were locked up tight.

The road ended and a thick nest of trees. There was no possible way any of us would ever be able to squeeze through them. I wander off after that, hoping to find someone to hang out with for a bit

I end up finding Elly at the hospital. She had some glass in her arm and her head was bleeding. She seemed to be rather calm about the whole thing though, which was nice...I think. I walk over to her. “Need some help with that?” I ask her.

She looks up at me and smiles, nodding. “Yeah, I do! Thanks for offering, man!” she says cheerily. I spend time patching Elly up. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Should you be hurting yourself like this..?” I ask her, a little concerned.

She shrugs a bit. “Doesn't bother me much. Besides, Michael was entertained! And I love to entertain!” she boasts proudly.

I frown a little and look at her. “You did this to yourself for him? Elly, don't do something like that! You don't have to hurt yourself for us to pay attention to you, especially Michael,” I say.

She tilts her head a little. “It's just some accidents! I love doing my stunts, so what if I can't always do it safely?” she asks.

I frown a bit. “But Elly, that’s really not—“

She gets up, crossing her arms. “Thanks for the help, but I'm not here for a lecture!” she demands before riding off on her skates. I frown a bit and leave soon after.

I find Marie Antoinette in the diner, drinking a cup of tea and talking with herself, he voice flipping between her normal one and Slappy. It didn’t sound like a pleasant conversation. I was getting increasingly worried about her. I walk over and sit down across from her. She smiles brightly as I do. “Carlos, how wonderful to see you~! You must join us for a cup of tea!” she says.

She stands up and briskly walks to the kitchen, soon returns with a cup of tea and a teapot. She sets the cup in front of me. “Drink up, Bitch Boy!” Slappy says.

I frown a bit. She seems less on edge than when I saw her this morning though. I spend time drinking tea with Marie Antoinette. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Marie Antoinette, are you aware of Slappy’s uh...presence?” I ask her.

She and nods. “Yes, I am. I am still extremely displeased with him and what he did. It...It was awful and uncalled for. What Luna got...” she trails off.

She looks up and grins. “That bitch got what she deserved!” Slappy says. He cackles wildly.

I frown. “Don't talk about my friend like that!” I snap angrily.

The laughing stops. Slappy leans across the table. “What are you going to do about it, Bitch Boy? Huh? You gonna hit me again? As if poor Marionette doesn't already get hit enough at home!” he says darkly.

I don't say or do anything. He slams his hands down on the table. “Well do something, bitch!” he yells angrily. I stand up quickly and leave before I lost my temper, Slappy laughing behind me.

I meet up with Charles in the warehouse. He was going through the boxes. He found the fanfiction I had tried to bury away.

“Guess you found the hell on earth,” I say.

Charles scowls a little bit. “Yeah, I guess I have. You want to burn this stuff with me?”

I grin and nod. “Yeah, gladly.” I spend some time trying to burn the awful, awful boxes with Charles. The two of us grew a little closer today.

As soon as we tried to burn them, Monokuma had scolded us for trying to ruin ‘art’. And then we got kicked out of the warehouse by him.

“I really hate how some people treat my parents,” Charles grumbles quietly as we walk along the street.

“Hm? I’d think they’d great treated pretty nice,” I say. “I’m used to getting harassment letters and vandalism.”

Charles looks at me before rolling his eyes. “They’re like celebrities, Carlos. They get sent creepy ‘fanmail’ or random people take pictures of them or stop them in the streets. I’ve seen their faces in a tabloid once, saying they were getting divorced. I panicked for a week!”

I was quiet while he talked. I never really thought about it like that. But I guess the celebrity life isn’t always the most glamorous one. “I’m sorry that kind of stuff happens to your family,” I say after a moment.

“I’m sorry bad stuff happens to yours, too,” he replies.

The conversation had dropped there and the two of us went back to our rooms for the night.

I knew there would be a brand new motive tomorrow. And soon after, we would have a murder. And someone would die and we’d have to trudge through another trial. I fall asleep thinking about how we would suffer tomorrow.


	29. Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems and They Will Only Grow - Daily Life Part II

I get up in the morning, feeling well rested. I rub my eyes a little and yawn. I climb out of bed and get ready for the day like usual. Then I leave the room, heading to the diner.

Everyone was there, eating breakfast. I steal some bacon and eggs from Porker and sit down with the others to eat. We talk about escape while we eat. No one really had a plan, but it kept us all in a decent mood. So I couldn't complain.

“I still say I could vault over that wall!” Elly says giddily. “I’ve just need to try again and again! Failure is not an option!” She seemed pretty confident in herself.

Shelley shakes her head. “Don't be ridiculous,” she says in her usual monotonic way. “I’ll build us a robot that’ll fling someone over. Or perhaps simply destroy it.”

Michael rolls his eyes. “Right, then we can just let the bear murder us. You think he won't pull someone crap if we try to tear down his stupid walls? Hell, he's probably listening right now!” he demands.

No one could really deny that. So we just eat the rest of our food in silence.

Eventually, the others finish eating. I collect their dirty dishes and head into the kitchen to wash them off. I leave after cleaning all of the dishes.

I was walking along the large ditch that was along the road of the newest street we gained. I notice Michael’s basketball roll in front of me and into the ditch. He walks over and sighs. Then he looks at me. “Can you go get my ball?” He asks me.

I nod a little and slide down. I grab the back and throw it back up at him. He catches it. “Thanks, Carlos,” he says before walking away.

I frown. Was he just going to leave me down here? I try to climb up the wall but the dirt was too loose and unstable. I slide right back down to the bottom. “Hey, Michael! Come back!” I yell out. No answer. He must have gotten too far away. Dark storm clouds begin to roll out overhead. I look up and it begins to rain heavily.

Pretty soon, I’m soaking wet and shivering uncontrollably. Water was starting to rise around me. It gets in my shoes and socks my feet. It kept rising and I couldn't stop it as it floods into my clothes and freezes me.

Eventually, my feet leave the ground. All I had to do was wait and I was soon pulling myself out of the flooded ditch. I was soaked to the bone and the rain was still coming down hard. I get up and hurry to the nearest building to find shelter.

I end up inside the radio station. I almost run right into a large robot. I shriek and stumble back, hitting the door behind me as it towered over me. ‘Scot looks over and Shelley peeks out of the radio room.

“Oh, hello Carlos,” Shelley says. “I see you met my big project.” She looks me over. “He has a built-in heater too,” she shuts the door again.

I look up at the large robot. It didn't have a face. Instead, lights were built in that flickered on and off. I find a dial for the heater and put it on full blast.

I relax next to ‘Scot while the robot dries me off. He had his helmet off, I realize. “‘Scot, why aren't you covering your face up?” I ask him. He looks at me, a little embarrassed.

“Uh...Shelley’s robot thought I was an actual bear...and tried to rip my head off...” he says softly. I could hear what sounded like laughing from the radio room. It sounded dry and emotionless though. ‘Scot puts his head back on, embarrassed.

I walk into the radio room after I was dry to see Shelley was working on the radio. She had all of her tools with her and was currently messing around with the wires. She looks up at me. “Oh, Carlos, if you’re going to be in here, be useful. I need some help,” she says. I nod a bit. I spend time helping Shelley with the radio. The two of us grew a little closer today.

Shelley yawns a little bit and rubs her eyes. I look at her and notice her eyelids drooping. I gently shake her and she jolts up. “Sorry...I didn't sleep much last night...” she mumbles softly.

I frown a tiny bit, concerned. She rubs her eyes again. “I stayed up all night working on my robot...and then the radio. I got...an hour? Yeah, about an hour...” she mumbles softly.

“Shelley, you shouldn't do that,” I tell her.

She waves me off, a little annoyed. “I know what I'm doing...look, I don't want you here if you’re going to lecture me,” she tells me. I sigh softly but leave the radio room.

I look outside. The rain has finally died off. The monitors flicker on for an announcement from Monokuma. “I hope you all enjoyed the little natural shower because that's your new motive! Every day will be random, intense weather! I could do it at any moment, so be prepared for the worst!” he announces happily before it turns off. I frown a little bit but leave the building, telling ‘Scot and Shelley goodbye.

I walk into the diner. Porker had been here the whole time, I think, just eating like usual. He really had a problem. I walk over to him and sit down. “Mind if I eat some of this?” I ask him.

He gestures to the food calmly, telling me to take my pick. I spend some time eating with Porker. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“You’re always eating,” I say after I have my fill. “I know you’re the SHSL Competitive Eater, but is it really necessary?” He polishes off the rest of it, but seems a little upset when I bring it up.

“Some people get that kind of taste in their mouth. The kind that never goes away. That they never forget. For me...it’s the human meat they used to feed me. I've never really gotten rid of the flavor. It just...doesn't go away. Eating other food helps with that. As long as I keep eating...I never have to taste it again...” he says softly. I didn't mean to make him think about something like that. I gently place a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and before pulling me into a hug.

I look up at him and gently hug him back. “It’s going to be okay, Porker,” I tell him. “You don’t have to do that ever again, right?”

He nods softly. “Y-Yeah...I stay with these nice people. Call them Aunt Jen and Uncle Bert. They take care of me...they’re really nice people...” He smiles a bit.

I smile too and nod. “And you’ll see them again once we get out of here. Don’t forget that.”

Porker smiles a little wider and nod. He let go of me. He leaves to work out, now better spirits. I felt like I understood Porker a lot more now. I leave too.

I find Marie Antoinette by herself at the pool. She was looking into the water, talking with her reflection. Whenever the reflection responded, it was Slappy who spoke. I guess this is how she was talking with him still. I sit next to them.

Marie Antoinette looks at me then looks away. “Hello Carlos,” she says softly. “Would you care to keep me some well-deserved company?” She looks back at me.

I smile and nod. “Sure thing.” I spend time keeping Marie Antoinette company. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Marie Antoinette, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit upset today and...I’m a little worried about you,” I say.

She looks at me then into the water again. “Slappy is...he is saying things I do not like more often. He is frightening me...and I do not know what to do now and...and...” she trails off. I look at her.

“Jesus, does she ever just shut up?!” Slappy demands angrily. He groans. “Always whining about something! Take a chill pill, Marionette!” he demands.

I felt bad for Marie Antoinette. This as something out of her control. And I could tell it was seriously beginning to take a toll on her without the doll around.

She stood up before I could ask her any more questions and left the pool. She didn’t even say goodbye to me.

I went back to my room shortly after that. I climb into bed. I sneeze loudly, still a little shaken up from the rain. But I managed to get some sleep.


	30. Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems and They Will Only Grow - Daily Life Part III

I wake up in the morning and yawn. At least that rainstorm I got stuck in yesterday hadn't made me sick or anything. I climb out of bed and get ready for the day before heading down to the diner to join my friends for some breakfast.

I head in and steal some pancakes from Porker, sitting down to eat with the others. We all eat and talk and laugh. I was happy with how much it seemed everyone was getting along

Marie Antoinette even seemed to join in today. Slappy would talk to, and while no one seems to like him much, they put up with it for now. Shelley wasn’t around at the time. I was glad everyone seems to be doing so well.

Once again, I stayed behind to wash the dishes. I prepare some breakfast for Shelley and walk off. She was probably in the radio station.

I walk off with some breakfast made up for her. By the time I got to the radio station, it was cold. I don’t think she would mind too much.

I set the breakfast down next to her. She didn’t react much, deeply focused on her work. I left her be.

The moment I tried to walk outside, I got hit in the gut with a large price of hail. I grunt and stumble back inside quickly as the hail begins to hit harder. I quickly shut the door and back up.

It was a while before the door opened again and Michael stumbled in. He had light bruises on him from the hail. I quickly go over to him, shutting the door.

“Christ, are you okay? What happened to you?” I ask him.

“Elly kicked me out of where I had been...” he grumbles softly.

I frown a bit and head over to the waiting chairs and sit down with him.

“I guess we can just hang out for a while,” I say.

Michael frowns and grumbles some kids, rubbing his arm gently. “Yeah...”

I spend some time hanging out with Michael, although he didn’t seem happy. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Michael, do you have any friends back home?” I ask him.

He looks at me and arches a brow. “Of course I do. My team. Some of my classmates. A few people from the neighborhood. I'm insulted you would insinuate that no one likes me,” he says.

I look at him. He...looked about as displeased with my entire existence as usual. “You aren't exactly the most approachable person,” I say softly.

He crosses his arms. “That's just how I am. It's not my fault people don't like it!” he snaps.

Right, of course. It was other people’s faults. I still don’t think I understand the point of this character he puts on.

“Is that how you really feel?” I ask him. Michael didn’t say anything to me. And he didn’t speak again when I tried a new question. The conversation was done.

The sounds of hail hitting the building stops. Peeking outside, I saw the ground covered in hail but no signs of it still falling. Micael and I hurry off to try to get to another building in case it started again. We left Shelley behind to work.

We head outside, careful not to let myself slip on the ice as we jog along. We got to the diner without any more hail. Porker and ‘Scot we’re both in the diner. Porker was eating like usual and ‘Scot had joined him.

Me and Michael take a seat at their table. I was panting a bit from rushing over her, but Michael seemed alright. Porker offers me a bag of potato chips and I take it, eating gratefully. Michael was given a protein bar.

Charles walked in while we were eating. His eyes seemed to scan the room. “Is everyone okay in here?” he finally asks. “I wanted to make sure things were fine.”

I knew pretty instantly that was an out-of-character response. Michael seemed to catch on too. The others didn’t, as ‘Scot gave him a plate of food. “Uh...thanks,” he said to Charles.

I got up quietly. Charles and I exchange a glance before I walked out of the building. I head to the hotel.

I go up the stairs and to Charles’ room. I try to the door but it was locked tight. I knew I couldn’t just break down the door and without a key, this was pointless. I left, a little defeated as I failed to find what he might be hiding. Or maybe it was guilt from suspecting him on such a short basis. Hard to say.

I left to find someone to spend my time with while I try to understand my conflicting feelings.

I head into the warehouse to find Elly was going through the boxes and making a mess of the contents she didn't want. It seems she discovered the fanfics. They were sitting in the corner in a box that she had written ‘burn’ on it. I didn’t want to tell her Monokuma would stop her.

I walk over to her. “What are you up to Elly?” I ask.

She looks at me and grins. “Looking for something awesome to do! One of these boxes has to have something super cool, so help me look!” she says.

I nod softly and spend time helping Elly search through the boxes. The two of us grew a little closer.

“How do your parents react to your stunts?” I ask her after we gave up on searching through the boxes.

She grins. “Oh man, it's great! They get all worried and concerned that I might hurt myself or something!” she says happily.

Why...Why was that a good thing?! She said it with such joy and a massive smile on her face. Did she want them to feel like that? Or...was there something more to it than that?

“Any reaction is great!” she goes on. “Interest, concern, joy...I’m not picky. I'll take what I can get...” she seems to trail off for a moment. “That’s why I love putting all my stunts on YouTube! The way people react to it in the comments is always so awesome! I mean, once you filter out the trolls, y’know?”

I nod a bit. But I was still hung up on her earlier statement. It sounded like she didn’t have any regard for others’ feelings toward the things she does. That can’t be good.

She hops up, slipping a little on her roller skates after we found nothing. “See ya, Carlos! This was fun!” she says. Then she rides away.

I left the warehouse and head back to the hotel for a bit. I find Charles sitting in front of the table in the lobby, messing around with some test tubes that had different chemicals inside of them. I sit down next to him. “What are you trying to make?” I ask him.

He looks at me then back to his chemicals. “Highly coercive acid. I might be able to melt through those walls if I can make enough...” he tells me. He pulls a pair of goggles out of his pocket and hands them to me. “Wear these if you’re going to help,” he says.

I nod a bit and put them on, glad he was finally giving me some form of safety protection. I spend time mixing deadly chemicals with Charles. The two of us grew a little closer today.

“Charles, what's it like for you to have SHSL’s for parents? Especially ones so famous and popular,” I say.

He looks at me and sighs softly. “It’s a lot of work, Carlos. Everyone wants to talk to you because they want to meet them. People can be so selfish. That’s why I don't like them. Selfish...self-centered...cruel...but you know all that. And you know the kind of things they do to me and my family.”

He looks at me. “You’re different, to an extent. You did something selfish earlier...but out of fear. Self-preservation. You could have kept up the act and won, beat us all. But you didn't. You felt bad, Carlos, and you went against the mastermind. You care about us more than you care about yourself, even if it took you some time to realize it.”

I never really thought about it like that. I was still so overcome with guilt for ever doing something like that, that I got sick just thinking about it. But to have Charles of all people say he understood and forgave...it was nice.

“You’re the SHSL Assistant for a reason...your parents clearly knew what you were doing...” he says. He gives me a smile. I smile back. I didn't think Charles thought that sort of thing about me. I was happy he did. I hug him suddenly. I’d pretend I wasn’t fighting back tears.

“What are you doing?” Charles asks. He didn’t sound angry.

“Can’t a guy hug his friend when they give him for than they deserve?” I ask, mildly joking.

Charles smiles a bit and hugs me back. “No, I guess not.”

Eventually, the two of us part ways. I felt like I had a better understanding of Charles now.

I headed up to my room for the night and get ready for bed. I still wasn’t sure what Charles was hiding, but surely it couldn’t be anything that awful, right? He wouldn’t do something like that to everyone. I think.

I fall asleep thinking about how to handle this.


	31. Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems and They Will Only Grow - Killing Life Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning below!

In the morning, I wake up feeling cold. There was an awful draft in the room. I ignore it for now and get out of bed. I made sure to zip up my jacket today. I get ready for the day and head out to the diner for breakfast.

When I stepped outside, I felt that cold wind that managed to get into my room. Then I get hit in the face with a snowball. I stumble back a bit and wipe the snow off of my face, looking around.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. It was still snowing lightly. Everyone was out here playing and having fun. Elly had been the one to hit me with a snowball and she had a big grin on her face.

I grin too and grab some snow. Elly and I start a snowball fight, throwing them back and forth at each other. Charles was taking some samples of the snow, probably to study it. Shelley had her robot carrying her around and keeping her warm while she stayed bundled up. ‘Scot and Marie Antoinette were making snow angels together. Michael and Porker were building a snowman.

Michael and Shelley get caught in the crossfire of the snowball fight between me and Elly, with Elly hitting them both. She freezes as both look at her before she runs off. They chase her down.

Porker pouts as his helped rubs off with a vengeance. But Marie Antoinette and ‘Scot were quick to chip in with the construction.

The sudden winds caught us by surprise. It got far colder and harsher. It felt like the wind was trying to bite us. The snow picks up and it gets hard to see. It was a blizzard! Everyone hurries inside.

Me, Charles, Marie Antoinette, and ‘Scot all got into the hotel. I had no idea where Porker was, but I wouldn’t be able to go back out there.

The windows shook and the doors rattled. The lobby was no colder inside than it was outside.

“Let’s get to the basement,” Charles says. “These windows could break at any minute. And we might find something to keep warm.

Everyone nods in agreement and we head down to the basement.

The basement was even colder than the upstairs and was full of dusty things covered in sheets. We all go looking for something to keep us warm. I end up with a heavy coat and a wool scarf. I take it over to the others to decide who should get them.

That’s when I heard something shatter. It was followed by a loud crash. Sometimes happened upstairs.

The others heard it too, but I was the one to head to the stairs. “I’ll check it out!” I assure them quickly.

Charles stopped me. “No, I’ll do it,” he says. “You stay here with the others.” He heads up the stairs and I stayed behind, watching.

There was silence for a couple minutes. We all stood there, waiting and trying to see if anything would happen. Eventually, I went up the stairs.

When I entered the lobby, I saw a window had been shattered. Glass laid on the floor and a trail of blood went out the wind open front doors, where the snow had clearly stopped.

I look away from that and scream in an instant. Slumped against the wall near the shattered glass was Charles. A large pipe stuck out of his chest and blood soaked him.

‘Scot and Marie Antoinette came charging up the stairs as I screamed. He body discovery announcement played once they had seen what I saw.

I walk over to the body slowly and kneel down. There was a bloody wound on Charles’ head. A bit of blood dropped out the side of his mouth. The pipe was dented and bloodied, but the tip had been sharp enough to stab.

“...I’m so sorry, Charles...” I murmur. How could I ever explain this to his parents? They would be devastated. I don’t know if they would even be able to face my parents after something like this.

I stand up slowly and look around. The blood trail went outside. That couldn’t be Charles. Where did it come from? I walk over to the door.

The blood continued outside. It was just little drips raveling only. There were two lines in the snow along with it looking melted. What caused that? I follow the trail. ‘Scot and Marie Antoinette follow after me.

The window in the station was shattered. I could see into the radio room. I hurry inside quickly.

Michael was sprawled out on top of the now destroyed radio. His body was covered in bruises and open winds. His neck was twisted at an odd angle and the side of his head was bleeding. A wrench rammed into the control panel of the radio kept him in place.

Marie Antoinette and ‘Scot run into the room after me. The body discovery announcement plays again. Two...two again. Two people were dead. Charles Wells, the SHSL Chemist, and Michael Miguel, the SHSL Basketball Player, were dead.

**Deadly City Life - Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems And They Will Grow**

The three of us stare at Michael’s body and the ruined radio. Not only was another person dead, but now our best way of reaching the outside world was destroyed. I didn't think even Shelley could fix it now. Why would one of us do this..?

I look at Marie Antoinette. Her jaw was tense and tears brimmed her eyes. She walks out of the room quickly without uttering a word. ‘Scot goes after her.

Shelley, Porker, and Elly all arrive together after a moment. Our three suspects. The only ones not accounted for during the time of the murder. The first thing to do was to figure out where all of them were...after the initial shock of the body was over.

Porker and Elly didn’t seem to care much about the radio, more focused on the body. Shelley fell to her knees and looked like she was going to cry. But I’m pretty sure she was focused more on the radio.

“...that’s never going to work now...” Elly murmurs softly as she looks at the radio.

I get the all to tell me everything they knew before I left. I needed them to tell me where they had all been.

“I was in the diner the whole time,” Porker says. I wasn't shocked.

“I managed to stumble my way to the warehouse. Couldn’t get here in time,” Shelley tells me quietly. Her robot was still with her, keeping the room warm. She must really not like the cold.

“I got stuck in the prison,” Elly says. I had no reason not to believe any of them yet.

We all begin investigating. After looking the radio over, I could see that someone beat it with something, probably the wrench. It was covered in dents, switches were broken, buttons were smashed. Somebody went all out on it. Michael's body seemed to have been treated the same. Bones were broken, his arm was bent the wrong way, his body was bruised and bleeding, he had a massive dent in the on the left of his head and his neck was limp and tilting too far to the left, clearly broken.

I sigh softly and look around the radio station more. There was no sign of him being dragged, so whatever he was put on out in the snow was taken in here. But I saw nothing that could work like that in the building. I leave.

The outside smelled heavily of gasoline. Looking around, I could see the building was surrounded by it. There were some empty canisters nearby too. I didn’t see anything that could start a fire around, though. No kind of ignition.

I notice that there were footprints that moved away from the radio station amongst the other sets. I follow them and they take me to the warehouse.

I walk inside and look around. Nothing seemed out of place since the last time I was here, but I knew important evidence was hidden away. I begin opening boxes until I finally find what I was looking for. A large sled was hidden inside one of the bigger boxes. The top of it was still covered in blood and it was soaking through the bottom of the box. This is what moved Michael through the snow.

I decide the smart thing to do was to investigate the areas everyone said they were at for evidence of them even being there. I head to the school first, since it was the closest.

Checking the diner, I find the same results. Other than evidence of Porker’s eating, nothing was different here. So I finally go check the prison. Nothing seemed out of place here either.

I go outside to check and head back to the hotel. I go to the space in front of the hotel where the body had come from. A bloody, dented pipe was laying in the snow near the broken window. There was also an indication of a struggle. Messy footprints were scattered around in this area. I frown softly.

The center was filled with snow. The massive hole in the back wall hadn't protected this place at all. There was a broken pipe. It was sharp and looked like someone broke it off with brute force.

I head back to the hotel to look in Charles’ room. Whatever he was hiding food he impotent to the case.

I enter his bedroom and search around. I find something tucked away under his mattress. It was a personal journal of some kind.

It was killed with noted and entries. The first entry was about...convincing Michael no one can kill alone. There were some chemical recipes for making a deadly poison and an addiction gas. There was also a list of the secrets that should be revealed when. In the front of the book, a list had been made of everyone with names crossed out and notes about people scribbled in.

I stare it the journal in shock. What...What was this supposed to mean..? He couldn’t have possibly...there was no way...but...

I sigh deeply and slide the notebook into my coat for now. It might be useful later.

The trial announcement plays soon and I leave the room. We all head into the elevator.

The elevator shudders and begins to move down. Another murder. Another trial. Another friend about to be lost. Seven of us remained and our numbers were going to continue to dwindle if things didn't change soon. But that wasn't the problem at hand right now. The elevator stops and the doors creak open. It was time for the fifth class trial to begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chest gore  
> Neck gore


	32. Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems and They Will Only Grow - Killing Life Trial Part I

Everyone gets off the elevator and takes their places in their podiums. Luna’s, Charles’, and Michael’s podiums now had their pictures standing in them.

I sigh deeply as I look at the others. It’s just six now. And it was time to get this over with and make it five.

“So I guess we have to pick a body again,” ‘Scot says glumly.

“We should probably pick Charles first,” Porker decides. “That might make things a lot easier to work with.”

“Well we know he was stabbed with the pipe,” Elly comments. “The killer must have whacked him in the head and then stabbed him.”

“How did he even get away from you guys?” Porker says. “He was with you in the hotel the whole time, wasn’t he? Did one of you do it?”

“No, we were all down in the basement,” I say. “There was a crash from upstairs and I tried to go check it out but he did it instead.”

“He died trying to do something nice for us,” ‘Scot says. “...that’s honestly not like him.”

“He said good morning to me before breakfast,” Shelley says. “I don’t think we’ve shared more than a few words outside of the trials.”

“Then there was he weird way he acted after the hailstorm,” Porker recalls.

“Yeah, that sounds about right...” I murmur. “...and...I have something really important to mention about Charles.” I fish the journal out of my pocket.

“...huh? What’s that?” Elly asks me.

“It’s Charles’ private diary. I flipped through it and...guys, he was working for the mastermind this entire time,” I tell them.

“Wh-What?!” Marie Antoinette says in shock. “So...Charles was a—“

“—a bigger bitch than our own Bitch Boy!” Slappy cuts in suddenly.

“What kind of things did he have in there?” Shelley asks.

I flip through the book. “Talking about telling Michael not the kill alone, making chemicals from some of our motives, our secrets and which to use when...”

“How...did he get so much power..?” ‘Scot says. “And...And he had our secrets the whole time?!”

“I can’t answer these questions...” I murmur.

“None of this is very important to the murder,” Shelley says. “We should save this discussion for later. Monokuma surely won’t allow us to get away with this.”

“Damn right!” the bear cheers. “Focus in the case at hand! Worry about your weird little theories on your own time.”

I sigh a little and put the notebook into my coat pocket for now. They had a point, we had much more pressing matters to deal with.

“So the pipe that killed Charles definitely came from the rec center,” ‘Scot says, getting us back on track.

“Someone must have gone in and broken it off during the storm to kill him,” Marie Antoinette decides. “I am sure a solid kick could have snapped it off.”

“No one was in the rec center at the time,” I say. “So someone must have gone there specifically to get the weapon in the middle of the storm.”

“Speaking of going through the storm,” ‘Scot says, “there were some really weird trail marks in the snow leading from the hotel.”

“Oh yeah, there were three different kinds,” Slappy says suddenly. “Buncha blood, the melted snow, and the lines. Weird shit, if ya ask me!”

“That blood clearly had to be Michael,” Elly says. “He musta been moved!”

“He was probably killed with the wrench too!” Porker declares.

“Actually...I think something else happened,” I say.

“Well...I don’t!” He retorts. “My guess makes more sense than yours!”

“...no it doesn’t, Porker,” I say.

“Well then prove!” He demands.

It seems like Porker wasn’t going to take this without a fight. I’d just have to end this here!

”Clearly, Michael was killed with the wrench!”

”It’s the perfect murder weapon!”

”It’s heavy and powerful!”

“Yeah, that’s all true,” I say. “But for that to be the answer? I don’t know...”

”But it makes perfect sense!”

”The wrench must be the answer!”

”There’s nothing else it could have been!”

All of a sudden, I saw a flaw to his theory and an opening to take him down. “Let’s cut through those words!” I yell out.

“Huh?!” Porker says in shock. “Did I say something wrong?!”

“Yeah, you did,” I say. “That wrench isn’t the only possible weapon. The metal pipe is too!”

“But...it was in Charles,” he replies.

“Michael died before him,” I retort. “That’s what the broken window and blood was about. And the wrench was lodged in the radio and completely clean. It couldn’t be the murder weapon.”

“Ah...yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” Porker says. “Sorry about that!”

“So Michael was murdered with the pipe. Then Charles went upstairs and was stabbed. Then Michael was taken to the radio station,” Marie Antoinette summarizes. “But what dragged him out? I highly doubt any of those marks were his feet being dragged and we saw no footprints...”

“I think he was placed on the sled I found in the warehouse,” I say. “It would explain the blood droplets and the odd marks in the snow.”

“Wait, wasn’t Shelley in the warehouse during the storm?” Elly asks.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Shelley agrees. “However, I didn’t see anyone come in.”

“Well, couldn’t it make sense to say you were the one who put the sled there?” ‘Scot asks her.

“...yes...I suppose so,” she replied hesitantly.

“But she got there before me or Elly,” Porker cuts in. “I got there after and Elly came in later. It doesn’t mean Shelley hid the sled. Someone coulda done it after she left.”

“Porker is right, the sled being in the warehouse isn’t enough evidence to convict Shelley with timeframes like that,” I say.

“We must decide what caused the melting of the snow,” Marie Antoinette declares. “Surely that will give light to some new answers.”

Of course, the melted trails. I needed to decide what did that so we can move on with the trial. I just had to think.

_What could have melted the snow?_

Anything hot enough.

_How did the snow melt from it?_

It would have to be against the snow.

_Why would there be two of them?_

It would be against someone’s feet.

_Did someone make something like this?_

Shelley did.

My eyes light up. “I have an answer! Shelley, weren’t you and Doc making a bunch of rocket-powered stuff a couple weeks ago?” I ask.

Shelley nods in agreement. “Why yes, we were doing such a thing. Why is it you ask?”

“I think one of those things were used to create the melted snow paths,” I say. “You gave them all away, didn’t you?”

She nods once again. “Yes, I did.”

Elly was tapping her foot impatiently. “Don’t we have something more important to be talking about right now?”

“Um...like what, exactly?” Marie Antoinette asks curiously.

“Duh! Charles’ notebook!” Elly snaps. “That’s a billion time more important than this shit right now!”

“Not while our lives are at stake,” Shelley retorts coldly.

“But what if there’s something super important? We could take out Monokuma if there are any secrets in there!” Elly demands.

“Well now you just announced your entire plan to him!” Porker demands.

“That won’t get us out of Monokuma’s wrath anyhow,” Shelley demands.

“Where the Hell did you get a depressing ass idea like that?!” Elly snaps.

“The last trial comes to mind.”

“F-Fuck the last trial!” she says. “Fuck all of this! How do we know they didn’t just kill themselves, huh?!”

“Elly, That doesn’t even make sense,” I say. “Think about what you’re saying.”

“Well how do you know, Huh?! Who made you the guy that knows everything?!” she yells.

Elly was getting angrier by the second. She was coming at me strong. I had to take her down.

”How do you know they didn’t kill each other?!”

”They totally could have!”

”Fuck, maybe they killed themselves!”

“Elly, that makes no sense,” I say. “What would their motivation even be for that?”

”Charles was working for the bear!”

”Michael was a stupid asshole!”

”They destroyed the radio and then killed each other or something!”

There it was. The flaw to her thoughts. “Let’s cut through those words!” I shout.

“H-Hey! Don’t butt in like that!” Elly snaps at me.

“Charles and Michael don’t have any motivation for breaking the radio. Michael wanted out like us and Charles was never around it today. So your theory is wrong!” I yell out.

She frowns a bit and looks panicked. “Well...maybe...what if...” she couldn’t seem to find the words to finish her sentence.

This was dragging on too long, but now I think it was more helpful than harmful. Because it’s given me plenty of time to think about who did this. And I knew for sure the killer was..!


	33. Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems and They Will Only Grow - Killing Life Trial Part II

“Elly...you did it, didn’t you?” I ask after a moment.

“Wh...What..?” she asks softly.

“Elly, you’re the killer,” I repeat solemnly.

She forces a strained smile.“...r-real...really funny...ha...hahaha...hahahahahahaha!”

“That wasn’t a joke,” I clarify.

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha!”

“I do believe she’s cracking,” Shelley comments.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! This is so funny!” she says. “You guys never showed proof it was me! That’s what makes his such a great joke! You have nothing concrete! Hahahahahaha!”

“What if I said I did have some evidence?” I say. “Would you be laughing about this then?”

The laughter stops suddenly and she looks at me. “...do you want to die, Carlos?”

“H-Huh..?” I say softly.

“I said do you want to fucking die?!” she screams. “Because if you vote for me, that’s all that’ll happen! You’ll all fucking die!”

“Not unless you’re the killer,” ‘Scot clarifies.

“Well I’m fucking not!” she yells.

“A daredevil would be able to brave the storm...” Porker murmurs.

“Are any of you listening to me?!” Elly yells. “Listen to me already! Stop ignoring me!”

“Elly, I have evidence that points right to you!” I shout.

“DON’T IGNORE MEEEEE!” she screeches.

“You have a pair—“

_“Don’t ignore me!”_

“—of rocket rollerskates—“

_”I’m talking here!”_

“—that could melt—“

_”Hahahahahahaha!”_

“—all that snow!” I yell.

“Hahahahaha!” She was back to laughing. “Is that all you’ve got?! Really?! What a joke! You don’t even have proof of that!”

This was it! The moment of truth! “That’s where you’re wrong!” I yell out.

The laughter cuts off again and she looks at me. “...huh?”

“Shelley made them just for you. I remember seeing her do it. She can vouch for me about this,” I say.

Elly was completely quiet now. She just stared at me blankly.

“The gasoline must have been her trying to burn down the station,” Porker says. “But with the storm still happening, it probably didn’t light.”

“...I ran out of fuel...” she murmurs softly.

“...I think it’s time we wrapped this whole thing up,” I say.

“The killer didn't run into the place they claimed. They ended up in the radio station. For whatever reason, they took one of Shelley’s tools and smashed the radio with it. But someone saw her do it. Michael was there. He probably told them that he was going to tell us and left. They followed him, brave enough to face the storm on their own. They went to the rec center first and took a pipe from the wall, leaving the wrench there. They attacked Michael out in the snow. He couldn't defend himself. He probably didn't even see it coming. The final blow was to his head. It broke his neck and he went flying through the window. Charles went upstairs to investigate at that time. He probably saw the killer walk inside. So they hit him in the head and stabbed him. Then they hurried to get their sled and drag Michael off. They were gone with him by the time we got up there. While all of us followed the tracks, they dumped him on the radio for us to find and attempted to burn down the station. But they didn’t have the time after the body discovery had played the first time.Once the body discovery announcement played again, they hid the sled in the warehouse, then joined up with us and acted like nothing happened. That about sums it up, right Elly?!” I shout.

She was hugging herself now. She looked like she had just been traumatized. “He...He was going to r-ruin everything! I-I knew he would tell everyone! And then everyone would avoid me!” she yells out. Tears flood her eyes.

“I don't want to be ignored anymore,” she says softly. She was trembling. “I’m tired of being ignored! Of being forgotten! Being a nobody! I’m sick of it! I’M SICK OF IT! **I’M SICK OF IT!** ” she cries out desperately.

I frown softly. “Elly, you’re not making any sense!”

“M-Michael...he would have told...I had to stop him! And then...then Charles walked in...a-and...”

“Alright everyone, time to vote!” Monokuma cheers. “Who is the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?!” he says.

We all vote for Elly, sullen and silent.

Monokuma cheers. “That’s right! Elly Daring, the SHSL Daredevil, is the killer!”

“I’m so sorry, Elly...” I murmur.

“Why did you break the radio?” Shelley asks.

She looks at her. “There were voices...” she says softly. “People were coming...they want to kill us...I had to destroy it. They were tracking it!”

We all look at Elly. “K-Kill us?!” ‘Scot asks in a panic.

“They could have helped us...” Shelley says.

There was a long moment of silence from Elly, Who was still crying.

“I-I...don't care what anyone thinks,” she finally says. “I don’t care...if you hate me. I don't c-care if you love me. I’ll hurt myself. I’ll hurt others. I'll kill...I-I’ll kill if I have to! Just...just...DON’T FORGET MEEEEE!” she screams. She's gone completely hysteric.

“Elly, we could never forget you...” I say reassuringly

“We’ll see about that!” Monokuma says. He pulls out his hammer. “Let’s give it everything we've got! It’s PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!” He slams the hammer down on the button and Elly is taken away. We all look at the screen.

**Elly Daring has been found guilty.**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Elly was on a flashy motorcycle in an arena. It had flames painted on the sides and Monokuma’s head on either end. The arena was absolutely massive and she sat in front of a huge ramp.

The crowd was around her, massive and filling every seat. They were quiet. Not from anticipation, but boredom. Someone yawns. It was louder than it should be. Elly looked disturbed but determined. She revs the engine and smoke puffs out the muffler.

She got on last show. One last chance to make her name remembered before she was dead. She was going to make this count. She pushes on the gas and the motorcycle flies forward.

**Ride of a Lifetime**

It goes down the arena towards the ramp. The ramp was wooden and massive. She couldn’t see what was beyond it or if she was even aiming for the right thing. But stuff like that has never stopped her before! Too bad the audience didn’t seem interested.

The bike flies up a ramp, shooting Elly into the air with amazing speed. She goes over several cars with ease, all extremely tall. She goes through a few rings of fire. Her tire hits the last one, making it sway a bit, but she flies through it otherwise unharmed and sticking the landing.

She didn’t stop driving the bike as she looks around. People were leaving the arena. Others were booing her and throwing food. The once packed seats were now half empty and not close to slowing down.

Elly looks back in front of her, tears in her eyes. There was a brick wall and she was driving right for it. She shields her head as the bike hits the wall with her still on it.

She survived the hit. The bike was mangled and so was one of her arms. Her leg was pinned inside the crushed skeleton of the bike. The helmet protected her head but blood was dribbling down her face from under it. Gasoline trickled out of the bike.

The ring of fire that Elly had hit finally stops swaying. It falls forward instead, slamming into the ground and missing her by about a foot. But something was moving toward it. The gasoline. And as soon as it reached the flames, it ignited.

The bike erupts into a fiery explosion in an instant, engulfing Elly in the flames before she could even scream. But no one was there to watch it. The arena had emptied out. No one saw her die. No one was left to watch her. Her helmet hits the ground with a thud, charred black and smoke wafting from it. Nothing else was left.

I felt my eyes water as the video finally ended. She didn't deserve something like that. None of us did. It wasn't fair...it wasn't fair! I turn to Monokuma angrily. “You piece of SHIT!” I scream at him.

I felt the tears running down my face as I try to charge him. ‘Scot and Porker seize my arms and drag me out before I could do anything else. They try to calm me down on the elevator ride up.

Once up, I walk away from both of them and storm off. I wasn't in the mood for this. I needed to rest and think. I disappear into my room for the night.

I didn’t sleep that night. I just stared at the ceiling. I didn’t form thoughts or emotions or anything. It was just an empty buzz filling the void in my mind.

**Chapter 5: Ignore Your Problems And They Will Only Grow - Completed!**

Carlos, ~~Michael~~ , ~~Pinocchio~~ , ~~Riley~~ , ‘Scot, ~~Doc~~ , ~~Pete~~ , ~~Luna~~ , ~~Charles~~ , ~~Freddy~~ , ~~York~~ , Marie Antoinette, ~~Elly~~ , Shelley, ~~Van Helsing~~ , Porker


	34. Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair - Daily Life

**Daily City Life - Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair**

In the morning, I left my room sometime after the morning announcement. I hadn’t slept at all. I wasn’t tired. I was mostly going through the motions right now.

Everyone was already in the diner when I got there. They were just picking at their food but not eating, Porker included.

What shocked me most was ‘Scot not wearing his suit, letting everyone see his scar-riddled body. No one seemed to be reacting to it.

I frown a little bit and sit down with them. Looking at everyone be so sudden and silent was depressing. I probably didn’t look any better than them, either.

No one spoke much as we just sat around. The announcement for a newly opened street plays and we all left without a word.

The wall was gone when we arrived. There was no big show, no massive explosion, no impossible amounts of power. It was simply gone. We all pass the threshold and an announcement plays.

“The Main Street District is now open!” Monokuma tells us all.

A dirt roads skews its way through the thick forest and went back to the city. Rubble kept either side of the road blocked off from the rest of the city.

The newest street had some useful buildings here, but they were the only things we could get into.

The inside looked like some kind of awful riot went on. Old blood was caked here and there. Things were smashed or burned. There was graffiti all over the walls. There must have been a terrible fight here. Anything that might have been useful was either illegible or missing altogether.

The next building I entered was buried in the rubble. It was a library but the inside looked horribly water damaged. All the books were moldy and wet and several fell apart in my hands. Any furniture was falling apart and most selves were rotting away. The half of the building that was covered in rubble looked like it would cave in on itself at any moment.

There was a newspaper rack in the back of the building. The papers held together when I picked them u and They were readable. However, the date they were printed hasn’t even happened yet.

The newspaper speaks of a mass murder at Hope’s Peak Academy. Several classes of Reserve Course students were found slaughtered across the school. Whoever did it wasn’t found, but one of the main classes was reported missing.

I frown a little bit. “This never happened...right..?” This wasn’t even dated correctly. Surely someone had just fabricated it. I tear out the page with the story. I fold it up, stick it in my pocket, and leave.

The last building we had was an old local grocery store. It seemed run down but was still well stocked. There was morning interesting here...except for the amazing discounts! But none of the food looked appetizing.

I left the store to see Marie Antoinette walking into the library. She looked really upset. I follow after her quietly.

I walk in and see her seated on one of the few hairs that didn’t look like it would collapse just from being touched. She had a gloomy disposition but she was quiet. Normally I would expect her to talk to Slappy.

I walk over to her. She looks up at me as I approach and smiles weakly. “Greetings, Carlos...” she says softly. “...I am feeling rather lonely. Would you please join me?” She moves over to her seat. I sit down with her.

I spend time hanging out with Marie Antoinette. The two of us grew a little happier today.

“...Slappy is gone,” she says after a little while.

I look at her. “Huh? What do you mean?”

She smiles weakly. “The two of us had a long argument all night. I got no sleep. But when the argument ended...he had left. I do not know where he went or why, but he was simply gone.”

“Oh, I’m...sorry,” I say hesitantly, not sure what to say to her.

She shakes her head. “Please, do not be. Our fight revealed a lot of things to me. He was not healthy to keep around and he certainly never my friend. It is best this way.”

I smile a tiny bit and nod. “Well...I’m glad you made the choice yourself,” I tell her.

Marie Antoinette smiles too. She soon left and I did as well.

I went to the diner to get a bite to eat. Porker was there still, shuffling a bit of food around in a plate but otherwise not eating anything. I go sit with him.

Porker looks at me and smiles weakly. “Hey there...” he murmurs.

“...you doing okay?” I ask him.

He hesitates for a moment. “Can you just...Can we spend some time together?”

I nod softly. “Of course we can.”

I spend some time keeping Porker company. The two of us grew a little happier today.

“...hey uh..I got a question,” Porker finally asks me.

I look at him. “Hm? Yeah, what’s up?”

“Do you ever get...cravings...for stuff?” He asks. “Cravings that keep you up at night?”

“Uh...well, I do get these cravings for my Aunt Stacy’s baking,” I say.

He chuckles softly. “I mean like...cravings for bad stuff...”

“Sometimes I miss conning people or spreading lies or stealing things,” I say.

Porker seems shocked for a minute. “You...You actually do stuff like they?” He starts laughing. “That’s awesome, man!”

I smile sheepishly. “My uncles got me into stuff like that. It can be exciting and fun.”

Porker soon calms down. “Yeah and uh...I mean I’m getting these cravings for uh...for...people...”

I frown a tiny bit. “Oh...I see...” I murmur.

Porker nervously drums his fingers on the table. “N-Not like I would ever eat any of your guys! I just...y’know...I was literally made to eat corpses so...I just...get these awful cravings sometimes...”

I frown softly and hug Porker. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. I trust you, buddy.”

Porker hesitates a moment before hugging me back. Then I feel his teeth sink into my shoulder. It wasn’t deep or painful or anything. In fact, I don’t think that was the point. But it took me by surprise and made me yelp.

Porker quickly backs off, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry! Thought it’d be funny. Trying to lighten the mood.”

I smile softly. “Good try, Buddy.” I left the diner after that while Porker went to get himself some food.

I found ‘Scot lazily riding around on one of Elly’s skateboards. He looked like he was deep in thought. He didn’t even notice me until he bumped into me. Luckily, there was no real strength to the skateboard so the worse it did was slightly knock ‘Scot off balance.

“Oh, geez, I’m sorry,” he tells me, placing a foot on the ground to gain his balance again.

“It’s okay, ‘Scot,” I tell him. “Hey, you mind if I ride around with you?”

He nods a bit. “Yeah, go ahead. Did you want to stand behind me on the board?”

I shake my head. “I have another idea.” I go get ‘Scot’s usual skateboard to ride around on. Once I returned, we both went rolling.

I spent some time riding around with ‘Scot. The two of us grew a little happier today.

“So why aren’t you wearing your suit?” I ask him.

He blinks. “Huh? Oh uh...I guess I didn’t really feel like it...”

“Are you feeling okay, ‘Scot?” I ask in concern.

“O-Of course I’m okay!” He says in a chipper voice. “I mean why wouldn’t...I...be...” ‘Scot was quiet for a moment after trailing off. Then he bursts into tears and hugs me tightly.

I was a little taken back by the sudden change in emotion. I hesitantly pat his back. “H-Hey, it’s okay, ‘Scot. Calm down.”

He eventually stopped crying and let go of me, sniffling. “I-I don’t want to see any more murder...I d-don’t want to do this anymore...” he whimpers.

“H-Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I tell him. “You know none of us will murder. We’ve all been through so much. No motive will make us crack.”

He sniffles a little and nods weakly. “Y-Yeah...you’re right...” He smiles a tiny bit. “...uh...can I have my skateboard back?”

I pick it up and hand it to him. “Go wild.” He rides off on his and I leave to the hotel.

Walking into the lobby, I see Shelley sitting on a couch. She wasn’t really doing anything. She just sat there and relaxed. I think that was worrying on its own.

I sit down next to her on the couch. “Hey there, Shelley,” I say tentatively.

She looks up at me and adjusts her glasses. “Hello,” she says monotonically. Not a hint of emotion in her voice. Her face was blank.

“Do you...mind if I relax here?” I ask her.

“...do as you wish,” she says. Her tone made it sound like it was her reciting it.

“How about we chat,” I say.

She took a moment to hesitate that time. “Alright...” she says softly.

I spend time talking with Shelley. The two of us grew a little happier today.

Shelley seemed a little twitchy, but she was back to her usual amounts of emotion. Which was still really little.

“You feeling okay there?” I ask her after a moment.

“Ah..I am doing just fine. Don’t worry about me,” she assures. But I wasn’t very convinced.

“Why are you just it here relaxing then?” I ask her next.

“Can’t a girl just relax?” she retorts.

“Since when do you ever want to relax or take a break?” I respond.

Shelley was quiet for a moment. “...I just don’t see the point,” she finally says. “I can make as many things as I want, but nothing I make is going to say us from this place. Hell, several people died because of what I made...”

I didn’t know Shelley felt guilty about that kind of stuff. She must have more emotion than she let on. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened to them. None of that is your fault. They would have died or killed some other way. What you made didn’t determine that.”

Shelley was quiet a moment longer. “Thanks, Carlos. You’re...a good friend,” she tells me. Then she stands and leaves.

I head up to my room for the night after that. I felt a lot better than I had the day before. I think I helped the others feel better too. I was getting a renewed confidence.

I knew it, deep down. This would end soon.


	35. Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair - Daily Life Investigation

I woke up to the morning announcement as usual. I yawn and slide out of bed. I get myself ready for the day and leave my room.

The others were in the diner and actually eating breakfast. ‘Scot still wasn’t in his suit, but I think it was a good thing. I think it’s what he wanted.

We all ate our food calmly. No conversations started but it really wasn’t necessary. Things were peaceful and everyone had relatively high spirits again.

Breakfast ends with Monokuma summoning us all to the rec center. We head there without much of a choice.

The bear stood on the stage as usual, but he looked upset today.

“What’s your problem?” ‘Scot asks him.

Monokuma sighs sadly. “With my little helper dead, I don’t have any new motives set up for you all. So now we have to end the game...”

“Wait are...are you serious..?” Porker asks in astonishment.

“Of course I am,” he says. He sighs sadly once again for effect. “So, I have prepared everything for a final trial. So go explore and find everything there is to know!”

Monokuma left and the rest of us went outside. “We should split up and pool our knowledge later,” Shelley says.

After a bit of deciding, I was taking Main Street District; Shelley took the Civilian District; Porker had the Communal District; ‘Scot had the Backroad District; and Marie Antoinette had the Volunteer District. We all would meet up in the Tourist District afterward.

I went back to the Main Street District to look around. Inside the police station, I found a police report tucked away in a desk drawer. All of the names were blacked out, but it seems someone had been shot down while leading someone or something. But with all the names scribbled out, there was no way to know for sure what was going on. Too much context was missing.

In the warehouse in the Backroad District, ‘Scot found his own police report. It was about a teacher named Harrison Ford, who was being charged with mass kidnapping.

Porker found a related news arrivals in the factory in the Communal District. It was about a class of Hope’s Peak Students that went missing along with their teacher. The article was dated for a date that hadn’t happened yet.

Shelley found a report from the Future Foundation in the theater. All names were crossed out again, but it spoke of some people being hooked up to a machine. There was apparently a problem person who was resisting more than the rest.

In the hospital, Marie Antoinette discovered a blueprint for a machine called the Despair Destruction Machine. It was a revised version of the Hope Restoration Machine, meant to end the despair inside of people completely.

The five of us meet up again with the things we found in the Tourist District.

“We should look around here before anything else,” Shelley says.

Everyone nods in agreement. We stick together as we look around. Inside one of the office buildings, we found another file from the Future Foundation. It spoke of a group called the New Remnants of Despair. They had started wreaking havoc to a dangerous degree, more so than the original.

“What...What is this..?” Marie asks weakly.

“The New Remnants...” I murmur softly. “This...This couldn’t have happened again...could it..?”

The trial announcement plays and everyone frowns. “Looks like we have no time to think about it,” Shelley says.

“But what about all the stuff we found?” Porker asks. “We didn’t even get to share it all.”

“Save it for the trial,” Shelley says. “We’ll talk about it all then.”

With that signaling the end of the conversation, we all left to the rec center. The elevator waited for us, dark and imposing. We all climb in and it moves down with a rumble.

The ride felt long. We were all completely silent as the elevator just groaned and moved downward. After what felt like a century, the elevator stops and the doors slid open. This was it. The moment of truth.

The final trial has begun!


	36. Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair - Final Trial Part I

Everyone walks over to their podiums once again. Elly’s podium didn’t have a picture in it as if someone had forgotten to add one to it. It made me frown a little.

Monokuma was sitting in his throne like usual. “Okay, everyone! I say we get the ball rolling! During this trial, you will debate to figure out all the secrets of this place! Where you are, why you’re here, who did this all. Everything! And when you all vote for your mastermind, the real fun begins!”

“I suppose we should begin our discussion then,” Shelley says.

“But none of us really got the chance to say what kind of stuff we found,” Porker points out.

“Then I suggest we share our findings and put the pieces together as we go along,” Marie Antoinette says.

“I guess we don’t have much of a choice,” I say. “Let’s go with Marie Antoinette’s idea.”

She nods. “I shall go first on that case. I discovered a blueprint on a machine called the Despair Destruction Machine. It is a revised version of the Hope Restoration Machine. It is meant to destroy all traces of despair within a person via simulated killing game. But there are some odd words handwritten on this.”

“What odd words?” I ask her.

She sighs softly as she reads them again. “ _Change of plans_ is written in large lettering.”

Change of plans..? Weird...

“I found something similar,” Shelley says. “A group of people were hooked up to something by the Future Foundation. I suppose we can assume they were speaking of putting the New Remnants of Despair into such a machine.”

“Yeah, all of that makes sense,” Porker says. “So these new Despair guys got captured then. Well good.”

“I don’t know if that’s as simple as the story gets,” I comment. “There’s definitely a purpose to telling us this.”

“Yeah, I definitely don’t remember anything about that stuff!” ‘Scot demands.

“Clearly our memories were altered,” Shelley says. “That’s nothing new, especially with the answer I’m beginning to suspect.”

“What are you starting to think?” Porker asks her.

“What we really are...and why we’re here...” she murmurs.

“I thought we were here because we were kidnapped,” he replies.

“How did you get an answer like that?” Marie Antoinette asks him.

“Well, there was this story about it in a newspaper I found. A class of Hope’s Peak students were kidnapped,” he says.

“Oh, Yeah, I know a little about that,” ‘Scot says. “They put a search warrant out for a teacher named Harrison Ford. He was under arrest for mass kidnapping. I don’t think they caught the guy though...”

“Well, I believe that may play a part in my theory,” Shelley says.

“Play a part? This is the theory!” Porker demands.

She frowns softly. “What are you getting at..?”

“I’m saying we were kidnapped but that Harrison Ford guy and dumped here!” Porker says.

“I do not believe that is the answer...” Marie Antoinette murmurs softly.

“Yes, it is clear what is really going on,” Shelley says. “We...are the New Remnants of Despair and we were placed into the Despair Destruction Machine.”

“That’s crazy!” ‘Scot says. “It makes much more sense that we were just kidnapped.”

“‘Scot, please, Now is not the time for denial,” Marie Antoinette scolds.

“No way, he’s right. This is fucking crazy!” Porker demands.

“Come on, you agree with us, right Carlos?” ‘Scot asks.

“Huh? Wait, why am I getting dragged into this?!” I demand.

“You would be a nice deciding factor,” Shelley says.

“So tell them they’re wrong!” Porker demands.

I frown a little bit. Great, this wasn’t going to end easily. I could tell. “Well...I think I have to side with the girls on this one,” I say.

“What?! Why would you do that?!” ‘Scot demands.

I sigh softly “Well because I—“

“Don’t you realize how nuts that is?!” he says, cutting me off.

“‘Scot, it’s just—“

“They’re wrong, they have to be!” he yells.

“If you would just let me—“

“There’s no way we’re Despair! It’s not possible!” he screams.

At this rate, ‘Scot wasn’t going to let me get a word in. I was going to have to try to take out the weak parts of his argument to make him listen.

”We aren’t despair!”

”That Machine has nothing to do with us!”

”We were kidnapped by Harrison Ford for a killing game!”

“No, that isn’t what happened, ‘Scot,” I say. “That can’t be the answer.”

Well why can’t it?!”

”It all makes sense!”

”This is the real world!”

And just like that, I saw the hole in his theory. The opening I needed to put an end to this. “Let’s cut through those words!” I yell out.

“H-Huh? But I didn’t say anything wrong!” He demands.

“Yes, you did. Because...this isn’t the real world...” I say. “Think back to the last motive. The artificial weather. There’s no way we could get rain, hail, and a blizzard all in here days with any kind of technology we have today.”

‘Scot was quiet for a moment. “So...that means...we’re the New Remnants of Despair..?”

“We’re all pretty messed up...” Porker murmurs. “I guess it’s not that unbelievable...”

“So...we’re the New Remnants...” I murmur softly. I didn’t like the sound of it, but that had to be the answer. It was why we were here.

“So we were put here to have the Despair inside us destroyed by the game,” Shelley says.

“Th-Then that’s what this all is, isn’t it?” ‘Scot asks. “It’s...It’s just the program doing what it's supposed to...”

“I am unsure that is true,” Marie Antoinette claims. “These blueprints...the words written on them make me think otherwise.”

“It said a change of plans. Someone messed with the program,” Porker says.

“And whoever that someone is is our mastermind,” I decide.

“What if it is his Harrison Ford that was mentioned earlier?” Marie Antoinette suggests. “The one who turned us to Despair...it would make sense, no?”

“She has a point!” Porker says.

I frown a little bit. Was it really that easy? Just blame the guy that did this to us and be done with it? Shelley and ‘Scot seemed to think it wasn’t.

“That’s far too easy to just go with,” Shelley says. “ I think there’s something else going on here.”

“Yeah, I don’t think the dude would just dump his name into the evidence for us to call him out on,” ‘Scot agrees.

I stare down at the information I had gotten while the others argued back and forth. Someone was shot and killed while leading something or someone. This would be a bit of a stretch but—

“Carlos!” Shelley says.

I look up. “Huh? Oh, did you guys need something?” I ask.

“We have reached another impass. We were hoping you could aid us through it,” Marie Antoinette says.

“Oh, Uh, Yeah, of course,” I say. “You guys are arguing about who the mastermind is, right?”

Everyone nods. Guess I was going to have to dish out my theory now.

“I don’t think it could have possibly been Harrison Ford,” I say. “According to this report I have, a man was shot dead while leading something. I can’t read want names, but I’m positive this is Ford while leading us. He’s dead.”

“Well if it was Harrison that died, who could be left to run this game?” Porker asks.

I frown a tiny bit. “...one of us, I suppose.”

“But...But we saw everyone die, did we not?” Marie Antoinette asks.

“This is a computer simulation that has been altered. I would not be shocked if the mastermind made it impossible to truly kill them,” Shelley points out.

I pull out Charles’s notebook and begin to flip through it. Surely something useful would be contained inside. I flip through the motives. I see everyone’s secrets again. All secrets of those dead and alive were written here.

Freddy seemed to dislike football. York hurt people on purpose with his accidents. Van Helsing killed a man once. Pete has kidnapped people for ransom. Doc had severe depression. All of these secrets were new and awful.

But why did Charles have these? Mine was there too. I don’t see how he would know I was the traitor, or a traitor I guess, but then go through all that stuff to try to get me to admit it. Especially if he knew it would be said anyway.

I flip through it more. Past the parts where he helped encourage all the murders. This was why Monokuma didn’t use me a much as he could have, it seems. Charles did all the hard work.

Convincing Michael killing alone as a bad idea, pestering Pete about the lack of control everyone has, telling Stella about a student file in the school, knocking over Slappy’s lighter, making a fake recording for the radio.

...wait, what? I look back at the last two to see if that was right, and it was. That was what he had written down. But Luna died for Slappy. And why would he go upstairs to see what the crash was if he knew someone would kill that day?

I snap the book shut. “I...think I have an answer...” I murmur softly.

Everyone looks at me as I speak and quietly await for me to say what my idea was. What I knew had to be true. “It’s...Charles. He’s the mastermind,” I say.

“Ch-Charles..?” ‘Scot asks softly. “But...I thought he was working for the mastermind! That’s what that journal was for!”

I shake my head and hold up the journal. “This isn’t the journal of a traitor. This is the journal of a mastermind. That’s why I was still recruited as the traitor. There wasn’t one before me. I know this has to be the answer but...will you guys trust me with this one?”

Everyone was quiet for a moment as if thinking the whole thing over.

“I’ll trust ya on this one,” Porker says, smiling. “You’re way smarter than me with this stuff.”

“You haven’t led us the wrong way yet!” ‘Scot says. “I believe in you!”

“All the variable fit,” Shelley comments. “This is a logical conclusion that I have to agree with.”

“You are always right with these sort of things. I am confident you are right once more,” Amaros Antoinette tells me.

I nod. “Then let’s end this.” I look at Monokuma. “Charles Wells, the SHSL Chemist, is our mastermind! Now come out and show yourself!”

Monokuma stares at me with a blank stare, as if he had been shut off. And then...he was just gone. Completely absent from his throne in just a split second. Charles’s portrait was gone now too. He stood in his stand, a sly smile on his face and his chin resting on his hand.

“Well, well, well...I suppose you all figured it out. Yes! I am the mastermind!” His sly grin turns wide and malicious. “And don’t you dare begin to think I’m done with any of you! Ahahahahahahaha!”


	37. Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair - Final Trial Part II

We all stare in shock as we had, unfortunately, been right about the mastermind. And now he was staring us down with a psychotic grin.

“Charles...I can’t believe this...” I murmur softly.

“You..really did this...” ‘Scot says softly. “You...You fucking bastard!”

Charles smirks. “I’m no worse than any of you. If anything, you’re all worse than me. I just led things, but you all used your talents to potentially end the world.”

“Carlos was more of a leader than you will ever be,” Shelley says coldly.

“In here, maybe,” Charles agrees. “But in the real world? I took the reigns when our teacher was shot dead in front of us all.” Charles suddenly grins crazily. “Not even he could unlock your true despair. He was better off dead because I was a far better leader than he ever was.”

“We were being given a second chance!” Marie Antoinette demands, tears filling the corners of her eyes. “We could have ended it there! But you took over. How can you call yourself better?!”

“Oh, believe me when I say this, but there was no backing out by then. We would have continued on, just without a structural leadership to guide us. It was better that way. None of us died. We had our last fight months before that happened when you all tried to get Carlos and I to oppose him thanks to who our parents were. That had been a big mistake.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” ‘Scot asks. “What happened?”

“Well, he struck Carlos down rather fast. He even cried! I was able to put up more of a fight but I inevitably gave in, as you can see. But seeing Carlos like that made me realize something. It inspired me. The despair filled me! Despair like no other! A perfect chemical imbalance that fueled my every movement! And once we fell, the rest of you soon followed...”

“A despair like no other..?” I ask softly. “Are you saying it was stronger than the rest of ours..?”

Charles smirks. “Glad you understand basic English, Carlos.”

“But why?!” ‘Scot demands suddenly. “Why would you do this to us?! We were supposed to get better!”

Charles scowls. “Better? There is no better for any of us. There’s only despair waiting outside this program. I couldn’t let the plan fail so easily. I wouldn’t even stop at Ford’s death. That’s when I took over. I got intel about this very machine and made sure everyone was sent here. With every avatar destroyed, so was any scrap of hope left! And now that I’m pure despair...NOTHING WILL STOP ME NOW! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

His maniacal laugh fills the trial room and sends shivers down out our spines.

“You made the machine destroy our hope instead of our despair?” Marie Antoinette says. “So...you turn the machine into a Hope Destruction Machine.”

Charles grins wide. “Pretty ingenious of me, right? To take a machine that was supposedly meant to help us become hopeful again, and instead use it to help me make everyone nothing but despair? Even the hope you started with dwindled when the game started, letting me control Carlos as easily as I did. Even if he was horribly useless. I knew your hope would grow stronger as you all got closer and made it through the trial. I made sure I died last. And experiencing death made me feel a despair stronger than ever before!”

“So even if we leave...everyone will just return to being despair anyway..?” Porker asks.

Charles chuckles softly. “Once the despair in everyone is maxed out, ti would be like trying to take out sixteen Junko Enoshimas. An impossible feat! The world would crumble to our despair! Ahahahahaha!”

Charles has gone completely insane with despair. I don’t know if he could even be helped in this state. I felt rage boil deep inside of me. I tried to rush Charles. No one could see what happened, but in the next instant, I was on the floor and I felt winded.

Porker and ‘Scot was quick to help me back on my feet and to my podium again. I had to lean against it.

“So what of the five of us?” Shelley asks. “What is your plan for us?”

Charles simply shrugs. “None of you factored in, to be honest. But with me being dead and Carlos having my journal, I was unable to do anything.”

“So we weren't even supposed to survive in the first place?” ‘Scot asks him.

He shakes his head. “Everyone was supposed to die. But the plan had to change.”

“So what will you do with us?” Marie Antoinette asks. “Kill us here? Kill the others? Simply end your game and take your winnings?”

“I’ll kill you all and allow you to return as despair once I crush what little hope remains,” he says. “But don’t expect to see me. I’ll be off running the world!”

“Charles, I know you,” I say. “You can’t do this!”

Charles just grins wide. “Then come at me! Come at me with all the hope you can muster! I’ll crush it all one by one until everyone is ready to die here!”

Two bars pop up on our screens. One for hope and one for despair. They both stood at the halfway point. It was time for our final battle.


	38. Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair - Final Trial Part III

“We still have a chance out there,” Shelley says. “If we were captured and detained, it means no one has given up on us. Redemption still exists.”

“Oh, does it, Shelley? Does redemption exist for the girl who uses her robots to destroy cities and slaughter civilians until the streets were bathed in their blood?” he asks.

Shelly's face pales a little. “A-All bloodshed cause by my robots are voluntary,” she says robotically.

“Tell that to the families that died screaming and begging for mercy,” Charles replies.

The hope bar noticeably drops down while the despair bar raises up. Shelley looked completely devastated, her eyes wide and her face paled.

“H-Hey, leave her alone!” ‘Scot demands. “You can’t treat Shelley like that, she wouldn’t do stuff like that if it weren’t for you!”

“Oh Scotty boy,” Charles says. “Please, don’t act as though you haven’t sinned yourself. I don’t recall telling you to use your cheers and influence to harm people like you did. Sports became bloodbaths, the mafia fought in the streets, families turned into bloodthirsty enemies.”

“Th-The mafia?” ‘Scot squeaks. “The again..?”

Once again, the hope bar lowers while despair only gets higher.

“That is simply ridiculous,” Marie Antoinette steps in. “‘Scot is the sweetest boy I have ever met! What he did as despair means nothing!”

“Would you be saying that about yourself right now?” he asks. “I mean, Marie Antoine—Marionette, you were able to use Slappy to drive people to insanity if you didn’t just have them outright commit suicide.”

“Wh-What..?” she asks meekly. “But...But not even Slappy would ever...” she trails off quietly.

The hope bar gets lower and the despair bar gets higher. We had lost about half of our hope by now.

“We still have a chance!” Porker demands. “We all have a shot at making things right again!”

“Can you really say that after making the police force a personal buffet?” Charles retorts. “They tried to quell the rioters and you ripped them apart.”

Porker didn’t have anything to say to that. He had both hands over his mouth and he looked like he was going to be sick.

The hope bar continues to lower as this goes on.

“Guys, come on! We have to fight this! We can’t give in to him at all!” I demand.

Charles grins. “That’s rich, coming from the weakest link!”

I frown softly. “What are you talking about..?”

“What are you going to tell him..?” ‘Scot asks weakly.

"I'm just going to tell him the truth, same as all of you. Carlos, what despair could the SHSL Assistant cause? Not much, you really only followed us around like a lost puppy at first. But then you realized, you're not just any SHSL Assistant. You're essentially the child of the Remnants of Despair, the first and as of yet, only born child of them. They shared all their skills with you. And when you started applying them, you were possibly better than even me, had you been the same age, Junko would've probably slept with you instead of your old man,” Charles explains.

"Th-that's not true!" I say.

"Archery, Psychiatry, lying, thievery, commanding others to do your will..." he goes on.

“Sh-Shut up...Shut up!” I yell out.

The hope bar gets even lower. Charles grins maliciously and cackles.

“How...How can we possibly beat him..?” ‘Scot asks softly.

“There’s Nothing we can do...” Marie Antoinette whispers.

“Even if we win...how can the five of us take on everyone else..?” Porker says.

“We’ve caused so much pain that can never be forgiven...” Shelley murmurs.

I stare at everyone. I felt a shaky sob escape me as tears begin to flood into my eyes. “I-I can’t do this...” I say weakly.

Memories begin to invade my thoughts. The things I did as despair. The people I hurt, the lives I ended, the places I destroyed. All of my own accord. I knew the others were getting a similar treatment.

We all stare silently, our despair swirling around us and clouding us in sadness and hopelessness. Yet even as it all seemed like there was nothing we could do, a sliver of hope seemed to remain.

Charles looks at the two bars before looking back up at us. “Still holding on, I see. No problem! That’ll just make it even more satisfying to turn your worthless hope into dust!”

The hope bar didn’t move. That little sliver refused to go away. And Marie Antoinette’s brow furrows a little as she studies it.

Charles’ smile twitches a bit. “Come on, everyone! We can’t do this all day! Which one of you is it? Who is refusing to give up?!”

“It...It is not any of us...” Marie Antoinette finally says.

We all look at her. “What are you blabbing on about?” he hisses.

“This hope...it is not our hope. This is the hope of everyone that died. I know this to be true.” She clutches her hands to her chest. “Everyone is counting on us right now. They want us to fight back this Despair. Well...I will! I will fight for their hope and ours! I will not lose to your despair!”

The hope bar rises for the first time and the despair bar gets lower.

“You...You think you can fight a despair as powerful as mine?!” Charles demands. “I’m stronger than all of you! No one can stop me, not you, not my parents, not anybody!”

“No, we will stop you,” Shelley says. “Marie, that outburst was much appreciated. I see now we cannot give up. Retribution exists for us all and we will fight to find it.”

“There is no retribution!” Charles yells. “None of you can ever be forgiven! You’re all vicious monsters!”

“Yeah, we might have been. But that doesn’t mean we can just give up,” Porker says. “We all need to try our hardest to fix our mistakes. We can do it together, too!”

“You’re all pathetic,” Charles hisses angrily. “A weak nothingness! You fell so easily to despair, what makes you think you can actually win?!”

“I-I’m not as pathetic as I look!” ‘Scot demands. “I might be a mascot, but I have a fighting spirit like you wouldn’t believe! And I’ll use it right now to beat back your despair and let hope shine through for everyone!”

The hope bar had continuously raised as this went on while the despair bar lowered.

“Even...E-Even if you all want to fight...it’s not enough to end this!” Charles yells. “You’ll all face a living hell once you leave this place. Your de facto leader knows this. He faced so much abuse as a child for comply being related to the Remnants of Despair. He knows what waits for all of you. Don’t you, Carlos?”

I was completely silent, staring at my feet. I knew what he was talking about and I knew he was right. I felt like I was sinking under a thick pool of oil and I couldn’t pull myself out. It choked me and made it hard to breathe and see. It was all-encompassing and wouldn’t let go.

“That is incorrect!” I hear Marie Antoinette yell out. “We will face hardships, but we will face them together! We cannot be so easily stopped! Not after everything that happened!”

“They’ll leave you behind the moment things get too hard,” Charles cuts in. “No hope exists for you. You’ll be alone forever.”

“That’s not right!” ‘Scot yells. “We’ll always be there for you, Carlos! None of us are going anywhere! We’re your friends, that’ll never change!”

“They all hate you,” Charles says. “None of them ever liked you. You’re nothing to them. You’re just something to use and abuse until you’re tossed aside and forgotten.”

“No way that’s right!” Porker shouts. “We’re a team, Carlos! You’re nothing but friendly and helpful to all of us! We’d never leave you behind. Everyone here cares about you!”

I look up a little. “We’re a team..?” I ask softly.

“You’re a useless waste of space!” Charles screams. “They’ll be better off without you and you know it! You’re nothing but dead weight!”

“That’s completely wrong!” Shelley cuts in. She smiles. A real smile. “You’re what makes us keep going. Through all of this, you’ve helped everyone to fight and survive. We can’t do anything without you.”

Charles scowls angrily. “Y-You’re just a—“

“No,” I say, cutting him off. “They’re right. They’ve been right this whole time. I’m the child of the Remnants of Despair and I’ll do exactly what they did. I’ll fight against despair with my friends at my side! Nothing will stop me from doing this!”

The despair bar plummets to zero. The hope bar hits its max and then continues to go up.

Charles stares at it then back to all of us. “What...What is this?!” he screams. “What are you doing?! Carlos! Stop this!”

“This isn’t just my hope,” I say. “This is the hope of me and my friends and everyone who died here! And together...”

The hope bar hits the top of the screen.

“...our hope is the strongest you have ever seen!” We all yell together.

Before Charles could say or do anything, the execution button comes to life, it’s screen turning on.

Everyone looks at it. Charles’ shoulders slump and he frowns. “I suppose that’s the end then...”

“Do...Do we have to press it?” ‘Scot asks. “Won’t someone die?”

“I will,” Charles says calmly.

I frown a bit. “Wait, you don’t have to—!”

“Always like your parents,” Charles says, interrupting me. “Trying to help everyone you can no matter what they did. This is the only answer, Carlos. Do this or stop wasting my time and I will. Even I can’t stop the program at this point.”

I was quiet before walking over to the execution button. My friends follow me. We all place our hands on the button.

“We do this together,” Shelley says.

“On the count of 3,” I say. “1...2...3!” We all push down on the button.

A chain flies out and grabs Charles. He’s pulled away from all of us and a screen comes out to play a video.

**Charles Wells has been found guilty**

**Commencing the punishment...**

Charles was standing in a lab. There was no one else in the room and he had his goggles pulled down I’ve rhis eyes. Monokuma stood on a table wearing goggles and a lab coat that was too long and...a gas mask?

He had an array of chemicals sitting out in front of him. Test tubes and beakers of different colored liquids sat in front of Hm, ready for any kind of use. He mixes some together and makes something that seems to smell nice, judging by the look in Charles’s face as he smells it.  
Monokuma lets some drip onto the table and it burns through it in an instant.

**Chemical Reaction**

Charles’s frowns a tiny bit and gets nervous. Monokuma splashes the acidic concoction in Charles’s face. He screams in pain and stumbles back, putting his hands to his face as the concoction begins to eat away at it. The plastic goggles melt along with his features.

Monokuma begins to mix more things together on the table as Charles writhes on the ground. The bear splashes more of it onto him. It gives him a very visible rash that he starts to itch wildly. It causes him to scratch up his skin.

Monokuma begins to mix more chemicals but clearly looks bored. So he shoves the rest of the chemicals to the ground and stands on the table, watching as a thick gas begins to fill the room.

Charles’s screams soon turn into coughing as he breaths in the gas. Monokuma’s has mask kept him safe from it. Charles starts to cough up blood until he was just hacking and gasping for air. He lets out one more long gasp for air before he slumps down to the ground and his face stops moving altogether.

Monokuma walks over to a switch near Charles and flips it on. A vent turns on and all the gas is sucked out of the room. He takes off his gas mask and gives the acidic concoction and sniff. He sighs happily. It seems to smell nice. He splashes it into the camera and the video cuts out.

I sigh softly as it finally ends and look to the others. The elevator opens up. We all head there without a word. We didn’t have anything left to say.

We all enter the elevator and the door shuts. The trial grounds faded away as we left. It starts to move up. Along the way, a massive explosion rocks the cart and makes everyone yell in shock.

“What was that?!” I demand.

“I...I think it was our way out...” Porker says.

The elevator stops and opens. We all step out and begins walking. As we walk, the world disappears behind us like it was never there to begin with. None of us looked back.

The wall that used to be at the entrance of the city was gone now. A bright light had been behind it. We all stop in front of it. The world behind us, the city, was almost completely gone.

“So this is it...” Shelley says. “The way out.”

I smile softly. “Yeah, it is. So let’s go in together.”

Everyone smiles in agreement and we all step through the light. And then everything went black.

**Chapter 6: Ruined Hope, Ruined Despair - Completed!**


	39. Epilogue

I woke up in total darkness. I had no idea where I was or what was going on. I try to sit up and I hit my head on something. I groan and lay back down, rubbing my head gently. I push on what I just headbutted and opens up with relative ease.

Light floods my space and I sit up slowly. I look around a bit. I was sitting inside of a pod. One of sixteen set up in a room. A large machine was set up in the center with wires going into all of the pods. One of the pods had more wires in it than the rest.

I slowly pull myself out of my pod and stand up. It took me a moment to get used to it. Four other pods were opened right now. The rest were closed.

Marie Antoinette was the first to sit up and I hurried over to help her out of the pod.

She takes my hand and stands up. Her makeup was now darker than usual and her hair, once in a bun, now rested wildly past her shoulders. She looks into the pod to see Slappy had been placed inside with her.

She reached for him for a moment. But then she hesitates and pulls her hand back and shuts the pod.

I pat her back gently. Porker was the next one to sit up and the two of us help him out of his pod. His teeth were filed down to a point and he seems to have let himself go a little bit.

“You feeling alright?” I ask him, a bit considered.

“Uh...” He picks something out of his teeth. None of us watched, including him. “...I think so,” he says after flicking it away.

Shelley was the next up. Porker and Marie Antoinette helped her. Both of her legs were now robotic along with her right arm and one of her eyes. It took her a bit to get used to these robotis parts.

I was helping ‘Scot out of his pod at the time. He had more scarring than before and his canines were filed down to sharp fangs. He had metallic claws attached to his fingers and they seemed to be stained a dull red.

I didn’t know what I looked like, but from what I could see, my clothes were disheveled and I had my mom’s jacket, but I had ripped it up and burned it.

All of us got together once we were able to stand and walk well enough again.

The sounds of a door being forced opened could be heard. Then we heard lots of footsteps running toward us. We all look at the door into the room to see it get broken open by men in heavy armor with guns.

The men all aim their guns at us. All we could really do was cower against the back wall with our hands in the air. ‘Scot looked like he was going to cry.

The men kept their guns trained on us before slowly lowering them. They walk toward us and begin to usher us out of the room. They weren’t very gently about it and occasionally shoved us if we weren’t moving fast enough.

We had to walk through a hallway to get to the front doors. The strength of death filled the building and we all had to cover our noses to try to deal with it.

Once we got outside, we were met with fresh air and bright light. Only for a moment though, as we were loaded up into the back of a van.

“Hey, do you guys know if my parents are okay?” I ask the man helping us into the van. He didn’t answer and just shut the door.

I sigh softly and sit down. “Well...I think they’re still okay,” I say. “So do you guys have any plans for after all this?”

“Mm...I believe my parents are dead,” Marie Antoinette says.

“Mine are, too...” Shelley murmurs.

Porker looked uncomfortable. He seemed to have a stomachache. “...I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I...I honestly don’t know where mine are,” ‘Scot says.

“Well...my house has tons of rooms,” I say. “I’m sure my parents will let you guys stay there.”

Everyone smiles a bit and that seemed to settle it. I knew the nightmare was only partially over, and there was no telling if the others would wake up, but as long as I had my friends by my side, I think it would be alright.


End file.
